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Jim Eichenhofer

Age: 26NBA experience: Four seasons (four with Pelicans)Games played/games started: 66/1Key stats: 7.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 38.7 three-point percentage, 79.1 FT percentage

Pelicans forward Naji Marshall’s 2023-24 NBA season overview

One of the key cogs for a New Orleans bench that ranked second in plus-minus this season (after finishing eighth last season and No. 22 in 2021-22), Marshall provided defense, energy, toughness, hustle and was an improved shooter and offensive player in his fourth season.

“All of these guys all season long, they’ve all contributed to wins and have contributed to this journey,” third-year head coach Willie Green said of his second unit. “They’re important to what we do. It’s refreshing to see the results.” Brandon Ingram on Pelicans subs: “It just feels like they’re always in the right spots at the right time, and they always bring energy. Naji changes the game in a big way on the defensive side, pushing the pace.”

Marshall went undrafted in 2020 partly due to questions about his perimeter shot (29 percent on three-pointers over three seasons at Xavier in Ohio), but he’s begun to answer those as a pro. He hovered over 40 percent for a long stretch of 2023-24, before finishing at 38.7.

“Reps on top of reps on top of reps,” Marshall explained of his improvement. “Hours being in the gym. Getting that confidence, knowing I work on it and just trusting my work when I get on the court. (And) of course my teammates trusting me.”

The Atlantic City (N.J.) native will be an unrestricted free agent July 1. He’s repeatedly expressed gratitude for being in the NBA, including noting of the NOLA bench’s second-ranked status, “just to be a part of that gave me chills.”

“I’m blessed to be here,” he said. “All glory to God. Just to be able to get in an NBA game, and just get a chance, is everything to me.”

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Naji Marshall Top Plays | 2023‑24 NBA Season Highlights

Pelicans radio color analyst John DeShazier recaps New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall's 2023-24 NBA season.

Naji Marshall's per-game stats from the 2023-24 NBA season

Three-point percentage over his previous three NBA seasons (116 of 406), making him one of the league’s most improved perimeter shooters.

Percentage of his points that came after opponent turnovers. Among Pelicans players who logged significant minutes, that ranked third (Dyson Daniels 20.6, Herb Jones 20.3).

Team-leading buzzer-beating heaves by Marshall at the ends of quarters. Daniels (four) and Larry Nance Jr. (three) were next on the Pelicans.

Naji Marshall’s three most notable games

#1, April 19, New Orleans 105, Sacramento 98

Marshall was arguably the team’s MVP in the victory that sent the Pelicans to the playoffs, bringing aggressive defense and opportunistic offense to a sixth consecutive win over the Kings. He netted 11 points, six rebounds, two steals and a block, relentless hounding Sacramento’s top scorers.

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as forward Naji Marshall grabs a steal and takes the ball all the way to the rim for the breakaway dunk.

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Naji Marshall steals, takes it the distance for dunk | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as forward Naji Marshall throws down the dunk.

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Naji Marshall throws down the jam | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Sacramento Kings NBA Western Conference Play-In Tournament postgame interviews with head coach Willie Green after the Pelicans' 105-98 win over the Kings on Friday, April 19 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Willie Green recaps win over Sacramento | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Postgame 4/19/2024

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Pelicans 105, Kings 98: Brandon Ingram 24 points | Play-in postgame wrap

#2, March 8, New Orleans 103, Philadelphia 95

One of the best offensive performances of his career featured near-perfection shooting-wise, at 7/8 from the field and 4/4 on threes. He tacked on a free throw to record a season-high 19 points. The Pelicans were plus-23 with him on the court, but minus-15 without him.

Forward Naji Marshall scored 19 points making 7-of-8 (.875) field goal attempts during the New Orleans Pelicans game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, March 8 in Wells Fargo Center.

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Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Naji Marshall with 19 Points vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers vs. New Orleans Pelicans postgame interview with forward Brandon Ingram following their game on Friday, March 8 at 6 p.m. CT during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Brandon Ingram talks road record, Naji Marshall | Pelicans at 76ers Postgame 3/8/24

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green spoke to the team in the locker room following the win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, March 8, 2024.

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Willie Green's postgame locker room speech | Pelicans at 76ers 3/8/24

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Postgame wrap: Pelicans 103, 76ers 95

In just his second game played of the season, Marshall helped the Pelicans bounce back from a one-sided defeat vs. the Mavericks two days earlier. He supplied 16 points on 5/9 shooting, including a banked-in three-pointer from beyond halfcourt, as New Orleans improved to 1-1 in In-Season Tournament pool play.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall scores 16 points in the team's In-Season Tournament win against the Dallas Mavericks.

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Highlights: Naji Marshall adds 16 Points vs. Dallas Mavericks 11/14/23

New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall sinks the deep buzzer beater to end the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks.

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Naji Marshall BUZZER-BEATER to end 1Q | Pelicans-Mavericks Highlights 11/14/23

New Orleans Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego talks to the team postgame in the Pelicans locker room after their In-Season Tournament win against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Inside the Pelicans locker room postgame after win vs. Dallas Mavericks 11/14/2023

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NBA In-Season Tournament postgame wrap: Pelicans 131, Mavericks 110

Naji Marshall’s player participation report

A right knee contusion sidelined Marshall for the regular season’s first nine games, but from there, he was one of the team’s most durable players, appearing in 65 of the next 68 contests. For a second straight season, he was in Green’s rotation whenever he was healthy (played 77 games in 2022-23). The Pelicans were 41-25 when he played this season, but 8-8 when he was a DNP.

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Naji Marshall | 2023-24 NBA Season in Review

Pelicans.com

On the latest New Orleans Pelicans Podcast from Thursday, May 16, 2024, Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell welcome Pelicans radio color analyst John DeShazier to discuss Naji Marshall's 2023-2024 NBA season as we continue with our Pelicans roster season recaps.

LISTEN ABOVE OR CLICK HERE FOR FULL PODCAST >>

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Naji Marshall's 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Jose Alvarado's 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Jonas Valanciunas’ 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Herb Jones’ 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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CJ McCollum’s 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Brandon Ingram's 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Zion Williamson's 2023-24 NBA season recap | Pelicans Podcast

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Pelicans Radio Roundtable on Game 3 vs. OKC Thunder | Pelicans Podcast

Pelicans Podcast

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Photos: Naji Marshall 2023‑24 Season in Review

Check out highlights from New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall's top plays of the 2023-24 NBA season! Part of our Pelicans 2023-24 NBA season player recaps.

Age: 26NBA experience: Three seasons (three with Pelicans)Games played/games started: 56/0Key stats: 7.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.1 apg, 37.7 three-point percentage

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado’s 2023-24 NBA season overview

He’s the plucky 6-foot underdog with the undrafted background, but New Orleans’ backup point guard is rarely underappreciated in the Crescent City. His regular season individual statistics may not jump off the page, but his impact on winning was undeniable: the Pelicans went 38-18 in his 56 regular season games, but just 11-15 in the 26 he missed. Those records were also reflected in the fact that the New York City native finished second on New Orleans in aggregate plus-minus (+240), behind only Trey Murphy (+265) – which in itself is a testament to how effective the squad’s bench became. As was the case for fellow Pelicans reserves Murphy, Naji Marshall and Larry Nance Jr., Alvarado was sidelined by injury early in 2023-24, but contributed greatly to a second unit that commonly erased deficits or expanded leads.

“It was a rough start from the beginning,” said Alvarado, whose season debut wasn’t until Nov. 20. “Came in with an injury. Had to get that feeling, that emotion, that swag back. It’s hard to do during the season.”

New Orleans was just 6-7 before Alvarado debuted, then went 15-7 over its next 22 games. He shot a career high in three-point percentage and led the Pelicans in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.93), before struggling in the playoffs vs. Oklahoma City. He wasn’t alone in that regard.

“Overall regular season was cool, but this playoff series made me personally think it didn’t mean (squat),” he said in his April 30 exit interview. “I’ve got to figure it out and keep on improving.”

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Jose Alvarado Top Plays | 2023‑24 NBA Season Highlights

The Advocate's Christian Clark recaps New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado's 2023-24 NBA season.

Jose Alvarado's per-game stats from the 2023-24 NBA season

Games (out of his 56 appearances) that New Orleans won Alvarado’s minutes during the regular season. There were 19 times the Pelicans were outscored with him on the floor, as well as two break-even nights. They went 28-7 when Alvarado had a positive plus-minus.

New Orleans record when Alvarado sank at least three three-pointers. NOLA also won eight of the nine times when he dished out at least four assists (all wins for both stats were by at least an eight-point margin).

Alvarado three-point percentage over his first two NBA seasons (115 of 357). Three-fifths of his total shot attempts from the field in 2023-24 were at the three-point arc, compared to roughly half during the previous season.

Jose Alvarado’s three most notable games

Revenge was sweet, as Alvarado got payback in the best way possible, delivering a season-high 17 points, along with seven rebounds and six assists in a rout over the Heat. A month earlier, Alvarado was ejected from a Feb. 23 loss to Miami due to an altercation with Heat backup center Thomas Bryant.

Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Jose Alvarado with 17 Points vs. Miami Heat

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New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado speaks to the media following the teams win over the Miami Heat on Friday, March 22, 2024.

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Jose Alvarado on Miami win, team defense | Pelicans at Heat Postgame Interview 3/22/24

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green speaks to the media following the teams win over the Miami Heat on Friday, March 22, 2024.

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Willie Green recaps win | Pelicans at Heat Postgame 3/22/24

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Pelicans 111, Heat 88: CJ McCollum 30 points | Postgame wrap

#2, April 19, New Orleans 105, Sacramento 98

The Pelicans reached the playoffs for a second time in three years via this play-in tournament win. Alvarado was part of a stalwart bench performance, delivering 10 points, five rebounds, two steals and one block.

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as center Jonas Valanciunas blocks a shot leading to a circus finish in transition by guard Jose Alvarado

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Jonas Valanciunas block leads to Jose Alvarado circus finish | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

Play-In highlights from New Orleans vs. the Sacramento Kings in their 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament game on Friday, April 19, 2024 as guard Jose Alvarado finishes an and-one layup.

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Jose Alvarado finishes the and-one | Pelicans-Kings Play-In Highlights 4/19/24

#3, Dec. 31, New Orleans 129, LA Lakers 109

The quintessential Alvarado game, he finished with eight points and one assist but still was one of the most impactful players in a blowout win. He finished with four steals, pulling off thievery against both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Guard Jose Alvarado grabbed four steals, blocked two shots and added eight points during the New Orleans Pelicans game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Dec. 31 in the Smoothie King Center.

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Pelicans Stat Leader Highlights: Jose Alvarado grabs 4 steals vs. Los Angeles Lakers 12/31/23

New Orleans Pelicans post game interview with guard Jose Alvarado after their win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Dec. 31 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Jose Alvarado on his performance, team offense | Pelicans Lakers Postgame Interview 12/31/23

New Orleans Pelicans post game interview with forward Zion Williamson after their win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Dec. 31 during the 2023-24 NBA season.

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Zion Williamson talks Jose Alvarado's impact, chemistry | Pelicans Lakers Postgame Interview 12/31/23

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Postgame wrap: Pelicans 129, Lakers 109

Jose Alvarado’s player participation report

After missing the first 13 games due to a right ankle sprain, Alvarado was on the court for 51 of the next 59 contests (New Orleans went 38-21 over that timeframe after a 6-7 start). However, he was sidelined for five games of the team’s costly 1-5 homestand. Overall, he logged fewer total minutes (1,028) than he did in Year 2 (1,310), also partly due to the varying availability of teammates.

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Jose Alvarado | 2023-24 NBA Season in Review

On the latest New Orleans Pelicans Podcast from Wednesday, May 15, 2024, Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell welcome The Advocate's Christian Clark to discuss Jose Alvarado's 2023-2024 NBA season as we continue with our Pelicans roster season recaps.

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Photos: Jose Alvarado 2023‑24 Season in Review

Check out highlights of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado's top plays of the 2023-24 NBA season! Part of our Pelicans 2023-24 NBA season player recaps.

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