Georges Niang has made a nice impact on the Atlanta Hawks since being traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he's giving the team another reliable three-pointer shooter. Other than what he does on the floor, he's a veteran that the Hawks could use for such a young team, and head coach Quin Snyder sees the difference he's made.
“I have a lot of familiarity with George, and some of the things that he brings, his role here is more significant than it was in when I had him in Utah, which makes sense as he's gotten older as a player and become a vet in this league,” Snyder said. “Clearly his ability to shoot the ball is something that makes him unique.
“I think his understanding of the game, just an intelligent player, as far as reading situations, coupled with, his ability and willingness to communicate where he can impact the game in a lot of subtle ways that maybe don't show up on the stat sheet the way the shooting does.”
So far with the Hawks, Niang is averaging 13.6 points while shooting almost 41% from three. Though it's a small sample size, he's also playing the most minutes in his career due to the injuries the Hawks have dealt with at the forward position.
He's hit some big shots for the Hawks so far and also had some of the biggest scoring games in his career in just a short amount of time on the team. As they continue to try and fight for better seeding down the stretch of the season, Niang will be an important part of their success.
Georges Niang fitting in well with the Hawks
Atlanta Hawks forward Georges Niang (20) shoots against the Indiana Pacers in the second quarter at State Farm Arena.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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Coming from the Cavaliers, who are the best team in the Eastern Conference, Georges Niang knows what it takes to be a competitor. He spoke about leading by example on his first day on the team.
“We kind of had a young core over there with Darius [Garland] and Evan [Mobley], and not to do comparisons or anything, but you look at the young core that is here,” Niang said. “You want to lead by example. I think being an everyday guy, not just a sometimes guy, and I think that’s something that me and Caris pride ourselves on.”
It's taken some time for the news guys to mesh on the team, but over the past few games, you can see the hard work finally paying off with some wins.
“This coaching staff doesn’t get enough credit because it’s not like this everywhere where you can just implement guys seamlessly and find production,” Niang said. “You look at all the games we’ve lost, yes they’re losses, but we’re not getting blown out. Nobody is happy about that, but gelling takes time. It’s not lightning in a bottle. Like Trae said, I really feel like we’re finding our niche and I’m excited to see what the rest of March looks like.”
As the Hawks come down this final stretch of the season, it's important that they continue to build on the chemistry they have and win games.