Once "cast aside", now in full stride

Scott Roth thought he’d struck gold when he signed Nick Marshall for his offensive firepower, and the Teal Game on Friday showed exactly why.

But it’s Marshall’s commitment to lifting his defensive standards that has the Tasmania JackJumpers coach most impressed.

Roth has consistently handed Marshall the toughest defensive assignments night after night. It’s been a steep learning curve, but the payoff is now clear, with his offensive game flourishing. That growth was on full display in Friday’s record-breaking 114-70 win over the Brisbane Bullets at MyState Bank Arena.

Marshall played a central role as Tasmania posted its biggest-ever NBL victory and highest score, pouring in a career-high 31 points on a stunning 12-of-13 shooting from the field and 7-of-8 from beyond the arc.

He set the tone early, scoring 17 points without a miss in the opening quarter as the JackJumpers took a major step towards locking in sixth spot.

Roth couldn’t be prouder of Marshall’s growth this season.

"He was a player that got cast aside a bit by some teams and he fell right into our lap, and we were excited when he was available and we felt that he was going to be really good," Roth said.

"We knew we had to fix some of the defensive issues that he's had in the past, but now it's actually the opposite and we put him on the best players to try and defend, and his whole game has morphed into something that is really pleasant for us and we're excited about it.

"His work rate's incredible and he has really grown obviously in our system, and our coaches have done a wonderful job with him and he came in kinda like this bit of an unknown.

"We thought we had struck gold actually with what he could morph into and he's exceeded expectations with where he's at right now with what he's been doing.

"He's the perfect example of a guy who's grinding away and getting better every single week."

Marshall credits much of his growth to the faith Roth has shown in him, particularly by throwing him into the deep end defensively.

“Obviously I have to watch a lot of film of these guys, so being able to just take that and then play my game with what l learn from watching them, and then guarding them,” Marshall said.

That preparation has reinforced his belief in his own scoring ability, while also sharpening his decision-making within the team structure.

“I believe I can score out there kinda whenever I want, it's just playing the right way, making the right reads and if two people get on me, I'll be making the right pass and it's really at the defensive end I've been focusing on.

“That's allowed me to now get these opportunities, and it felt pretty good tonight obviously. I didn't miss too many shots which was nice and it was even nicer to get the win.”