After a short break, we dive into the second half of the Dallas Mavericks Top 10 players this century. Today at number 5, “The Matrix” Shawn Marion.
Of all the Dallas Mavericks that have been on the list so far, none may have been as versatile and uniquely gifted as Shawn Marion. Now I don’t say that because of the very unusual shooting form that Marion used throughout his career, but rather his knack of being able to do a little bit of everything well without excelling in any areas aside from individual defense.
Shawn Marion maybe had the greatest playoff run of any player not named Dirk Nowitzki in the 2011 NBA playoffs. Although his numbers don’t really jump out of the page, his defense on the likes of Brandon Roy, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James.
Yes it’s true, the jump shot of Shawn Marion is hard to watch at times. But, the effectiveness of the shot was much better than anyone ever expected. And more important than that is his ability to drive, dunk, shoot the hook shot, rebound, pass, and defend as good as anyone.
Shawn Marion’s career stats with the Dallas Mavericks were, again, not stellar, but his play was so much more than the numbers show. During his 5 seasons with the Mavericks, the Matrix posted numbers of 11.6 points, 7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1 steal per game.
Marion’s numbers in Phoenix were substantially better, but the system setup there with the Suns was more statistical based than that of Dallas. Not to mention, playing with two of the best point guards in league history (Jason Kidd and Steve Nash) for 8 seasons total definitely has its benefits.
Shawn Marion will always be remembered as one of the hardest workers to ever enter a Mavs gym and will continue to be one of the most well-liked and well-respected players to ever play the game. Many hope to see the number 0 retired in Dallas, but no matter what happens, he will have fans in Dallas forever.
Next up on our countdown, we move to number 4, one of the best point guards to ever play the game of basketball. Although his time with Dallas had a few bumps along the way, he has earned his way onto the Top 10 countdown.
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