Georges Niang Reveals How Worried He Used To Be About Stephen Curry Before Joining Warriors
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Georges Niang signed a one-year, $3.8 million veteran minimum contract to join Stephen Curry on the Golden State Warriors this summer.
Subsequently, the 33-year-old power forward sat down with the ‘Not Even D2’ podcast and spoke about his Warriors deal and how excited he is to play alongside Stephen Curry.
“I think it’s the way that they play. There’s a lot of player movement, body movement, and ball movement. And then when you play with a guy like Stephen Curry… I don’t think people understand how much you worry about a guy like that.”
“Like, there have been so many times where we’ve been up 15 or 16 against the Warriors in the fourth quarter with like two minutes to go, and we’re still like, ‘All right, like the game’s not over.’ You know, whereas some teams are like, ‘All right, we can kind of play this out.'”
“But Steph is like amazing. He’s throwing the ball behind his head, hitting someone for a dunk. He’s making a deep three, then stealing the ball, getting a layup. It’s just like he’s a magician out there,” Georges Niang said about Stephen Curry.
“And I think the biggest thing that I’m excited about is to join a hungry Warriors group that has something to prove, right?”
“I think the guys that they have over there obviously have a chip on their shoulder. They’ve won a bunch, but you know, I think this is a time where they’re like, you know, people are counting us out, and I’m happy to be a part of something like that,” Niang added.
Not just Curry, but Niang is also looking forward to playing alongside other basketball geniuses. The 33-year-old veteran also spoke about his excitement for playing alongside some of his other new teammates, like Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
“Draymond has an unbelievable IQ. Like, the way he sees the game, the way he can speak the game, it’s really exciting to have a teammate like that.”
“And then you also have guys like, you know, Jimmy Butler. Like, you can’t ever forget what he’s like when he comes back, and he’s healthy. Um, just having those—the grouping of those three all together, and you have young guys, you know, like Podz, Moses Moody, and then the kid, Yaxel Lendeborg. It’s going to be really exciting,” Niang concluded.
The 33-year-old is making a return to the league after missing one year of action as a free agent while recovering from a left foot injury. In 2024-25, he averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 46.1% from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc.
A career 39.9% shooter from three, Niang is exactly the type of veteran who could seamlessly fit into the Warriors’ heavy three-point-shooting offense.
Having played against Stephen Curry in nine of the past 10 years, Niang is relieved to finally be playing on Curry’s team instead of against him. It will be interesting to see how he impacts the Warriors with his 3-and-D style of play.