Will Naji Marshall be able to keep his New Year’s resolution for Pelicans?

Some of the New Orleans Pelicans, including reserve Naji Marshall, were asked about their New Year’s resolutions recently and there were some interesting responses.

They ranged from serious ones offered by Willie Hernangomez and Garrett Temple to jokes by Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who said his goal was “shop less.” I wish he had said “shoot less,” but that is a different article.

The response that caught my attention came from Naji Marshall who simply said “stay off the pine.”

Naji Marshall has pretty much been out of the rotation this season, which is disappointing after he had a great Summer League and preseason that many thought would lead to an impactful role for the Pelicans this season.

Count me as one of them, as I thought Naji’s combination of defense and playmaking would fit in well with the starting lineup.

So far it has not, but with several players now out, Marshall might get more run, but he has to make he most of it.

Shorthanded Pelicans roster offers opportunity for Naji Marshall

With Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas and Tomas Satoransky all potentially out against the Utah Jazz, the Pelicans are going to have to get minutes from somewhere. It probably comes down to Naji Marshall and rookie Trey Murphy III, who have both played sparingly this season.

So what does Marshall have to do to earn more minutes while he can?

Take care of the ball

Coach Willie Green has made it clear that he values guys who take care of the basketball and don’t commit careless turnovers. Marshall has been loose with the ball in his limited minutes averaging a turnover a game even though he is only playing 10 minutes on average.

Bring controlled energy

Josh Hart has shown that energy and effort pay off, but it has to be under control, as Marshall has not only turned the ball over too much but has also committed a lot of stupid fouls in his limited minutes.

He could offer a spark off the Pels’ bench with his energy and ability to defend multiple guys, but he can’t hurt the team by picking up dumb fouls. He is averaging a foul a game even though he barely plays.

Make a 3-point shot occasionally

After shooting nearly 35 percent from 3-point range last season, Marshall is shooting a woeful 11.5 percent this season on half as many attempts per game. Ouch.

He’s only made three long-range shots all season, and while the Pelicans don’t need him to be a high-volume sharp shooter, they can’t have guys out there that the other team doesn’t even have to guard, especially with their two leading scorers out with injury.

I still think Naji Marshall can make an impact for the Pelicans this season, but we need to see more of the guy we saw in Summer League, who was making plays, setting up teammates, running the floor and wreaking havoc on defense.

I hope Naji can reach his goal of staying off the pine, but he has to make the most of this opportunity.