Naji Marshall Gets REAL About the Luka Doncic Trade

Naji Marshall Gets REAL About the Luka Doncic Trade

We’ve done a stuff with a bunch of your teammates this year and everyone feels like has their own version of like the early uh Kai and Luca stories sort of like we were talking about with Zion where it’s like the first the first time you play with them you kind of it’s one thing to play against them or to sort of know them but it’s another thing to be their teammate and see it up close. Did you have anything with those guys? Kai, you know like Kai is a superstar so when you get in there like you just really not trying to step on nobody’s toes. So we hooping and you know I’m just really passive but like Kai like he’s a basketball connoisseur so K watch my highlights probably up to this point like he knows my real game is what I’m trying to say so I’m being passive and his pickup he like yell at me like yo bro like you bugging bro like get busy and like ever since then bro like I just felt comfortable you know to do what I did this year like from like day one I ain’t even talk to him or nothing bro we just bumping he telling me get busy out here and I just like damn that’s crazy. This Kyrie Luca Luca just the chillst guy ever, bro. Like he just feel like he his best friend from day one, bro. Like he just a great dude, bro. Never mad, just always happy, bro. And he just a hall of fame like flamethrower when it comes to basketball. Like him too. Like he’s like Z. Like in practice, like he just does crazy things, bro. Like act like it’s normal, bro. Like that just be amazing for Kyrie too. Like Kyle is amazing in practice, bro. Like the layups he makes like what y’all see on TV. I I swear like in practice is 10 times better. And it’s full speed live play too. Like he does amazing bro. It’s interesting about him watching your film and that that sort of like kind of like I’m not saying he did watch my film. I’m just saying like he knew my game. He just put down like, but you but you obviously had a great season and we could like run through the numbers, but like offensively, you know, you you were uh you sort of surpassed every sort of statistical place you were at before and like I’m like with like how much of that is just like you just improving sort of naturally, but then also like the confidence from that from those guys and just playing with those guys and them being like, “Oh, we’re just going to put the ball in the right spot for you where you’re just going to like you can kind of like do your thing and you don’t got to like think too Um, I think it just all goes into one like working hard. Um, just being being around those guys, they giving me confidence. Um, you know, the coaches giving us that freedom, you know, and the opportunity that presented itself, you know, much like New Orleans when we got hurt, we was down seven guys this year and, you know, the team needed that. So, and then I just put the work in this summer, so I knew I was capable of it and my teammates, you know, wanted me to do that. So, it it just felt real easy. Everything felt like it just was flawed this year. Nothing was forced. When the when the trade happened, what was your like initial perspective on it? Cuz it Trey and I talked about it that night. Like that was crazy for the people in the league not involved. So if you’re in it, it’s got to feel a little bit weird or just it happening like in real time. I mean, I understood that like business is business as far as NBA. But I was hurt, man. Luke is my dog for real. Like and I love AD. That’s my guy right there. like he’s been great with us, you know? He woke us with open arms, we woke him with open arms. Like that’s my guy. But as far as just personally, like I just was hurt to lose Luca, man. I mean, it was a great time spent with them the short time we did. And I mean, I was just hurt to see him go. Trey, do you have perspective? We did a thing a couple days after. Do you have perspective on it now with like a little bit of time on the whole looter trade? Just the whole thing around everything around it. It’s just a I mean, I was going to ask you, Naji, about even the game when he come when he came back. Like, that was just a moment. That was like a historic NBA moment. Like, there hasn’t been a game like that that probably has ever happened. No, seriously, I couldn’t believe it. But I I just knew he was going to go crazy like that, though. Like, first game home, Luca wanted to be in Dallas probably. You know, he probably he probably never thought he was going to leave. I don’t know what he was thinking, but man, that was crazy, bro. to see him cry before the game like I just probably I don’t know what he was feeling but I just could imagine what that moment felt like for him. You played great that game. Did you guys have any interaction or not or was just kind of just like um yeah I talked to my friends throughout the game every game to be honest, you know. Um but no, it was just yeah too much try to knock you off your square but it was great for real. Like you said it was historic, bro. I would just throughout the game bro. I just told myself I have to have a good game. Like this is I’m blessed to be in this moment right here. Like people going to remember this moment forever, bro. So like I just knew I had to show up for real.

Dallas Mavericks guard Naji Marshall opens up about his reaction when Luka Doncic got traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Subscribe to The Young Man and The Three podcast aka YM3 YouTube channel today for more NBA analysis, player interviews and highlights.

Previously The Old Man and the Three w/ JJ Redick (ESPN / First Take) and Tommy Alter