Tag: Georges Niang

Sixers 3 goals: Georges Niang has to provide stretch shooting off the bench

Georges Niang has to provide some long-range shooting for the Philadelphia 76ers off the bench.

In this series, Sixers Wire looks at the 17 players that constitute the Philadelphia 76ers roster — 15 under contract and the two players on two-way deals — and give each three goals for the 2021-22 season.

The new season begins Oct. 20, and training camp begins Sept. 28. Now is the time to begin previewing the season and get everybody set for a new adventure of Sixers basketball.

Up next in the series is free-agent addition Georges Niang. Philadelphia signed Niang to a two-year deal in the early part of free agency and the Sixers are counting on him to become a stretch 4 for the team off the bench in the role Mike Scott used to fill.

For Niang, here are three goals for the upcoming season:

Georges Niang defends Sixers star Ben Simmons amid trade rumors

Philadelphia 76ers forward Georges Niang defends Ben Simmons amid all of the trade rumors.

Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has been under fire since the season ended back on June 20. The 3-time All-Star has received a lot of criticism for having a lot of familiar issues pop up on the offensive end and the team has been taking trade calls since.

However, one cannot lose sight of the fact that while he has some obvious issues on the offensive end, he is still one of the top players in the league.

Simmons makes a huge impact on the floor to help the team win despite the offensive issues and that is why Philadelphia will remain patient in these trade talks. One just does not give up a 25-year old who can do it all for pennies on the dollar.

New addition Georges Niang joined Sirius XM NBA Radio and he defended Simmons amid the rumors:

The kid’s an All-Star. Obviously, you’re saying it takes a certain guy to fit in Philly, but I think he’s a piece of the puzzle that helps you get to that point, like I said, that puts you over the top to win a championship. I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but like I said, I’m a huge fan of him and I’m a huge fan of his abilities. I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but they don’t pay me enough to make those decisions.

With training camp set to begin on Sept. 28, there has been some thought that Simmons will sit out to force a trade by an NBA scout, but there has not been any real indication that he will do so.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Doc Rivers reacts to the new additions Sixers made to their roster

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers reacts to the team’s new additions in free agency.

The Philadelphia 76ers have not been too active in free agency, opting for smaller moves to help the team in the big picture.

Philadelphia brought back Furkan Korkmaz and Danny Green on team-friendly deals. The Sixers added Jaden Springer through the draft and signed Andre Drummond and Georges Niang. Those new additions could help the team’s stars get the job done in the playoffs.

As the team gets set for summer league in Las Vegas on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks, coach Doc Rivers joined NBATV’s Rebecca Haarlow for an in-game interview, and he was asked about the team’s new additions.

Rivers on Springer and his possible role:

It’s just so early. I’m just happy to get him. I thought we were lucky that we can get him in the draft, we got him. His family history, me and his dad. I’ve known his dad for a long time. We were in the McDonald’s All-American team together, so, yeah, it’s a lot of players at that position, but, listen, it’s a competition. That’s for sure.

Then, Rivers was asked about Drummond and what he can bring behind Joel Embiid:

I think it’s a great place for him. Obviously, I’m biased, but having him and Joel, just think of that. Joel goes off the floor, Drummond comes on the floor. We’re gonna be protective of Joel so in the games Joel misses, we’re gonna have Andre Drummond starting in those games. That’s gonna make us all feel good all the time.

Finally, Haarlow asked Rivers about the addition of Niang who can be a good 3-point shooter off the bench:

More character, veteran toughness, a shooter. We have the star power, it now is gonna come down on the fringe guys that we can bring in that are gonna fit in and play their roles, and Niang is one of those guys.

The Sixers already have the star power in Embiid and — possibly — Ben Simmons heading into the 2021-22 season. Now, they need to find the right role players to move forward. Rivers and the rest of the team believe they have done so with this free agency class.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Free agency stock watch: Jeff Green, Georges Niang, Torrey Craig and more

The NBA playoffs are nearing the end of the second round and players around the league are beginning to separate the good from the great. 

The NBA playoffs are nearing the end of the second round and players around the league are beginning to separate the good from the great.

Under the brightest lights, these games have massive implications for the future value of upcoming free agents. Of course, executives around the league always have tough decisions to make about who they plan to re-sign as well as who they plan to pursue or let walk during free agency. But with postseason play, some of those hard choices are becoming easier to make.

For this exercise, we have also included salary projections from ProFitX, which is a financial and performance index powered by artificial intelligence. Their program models historical and future performance data to monitor and project insights on contracts.

As part of our ongoing series at HoopsHype, we are looking at whose free agency stock has gone up – and down – over the last several games.

Only 11 players played the full schedule, the lowest total since 1967

Now that it is behind us, there was nothing easy about the 2020-21 NBA regular season, especially for those participating in every game.

Now that it is behind us, there was nothing easy about the 2020-21 NBA regular season, especially for those participating in every game.

Whether it was due to injuries some may attribute to a shortened offseason or various restrictions and complications related to COVID-19, it was incredibly rare to see a player on the floor every single night. Ultimately, when it was all said and done, there were only 11 players who were able to play in all 72 games.

If that number seems low, you are absolutely right, as it was nearly half of the total from the most recent full season (21) in 2018-19. In fact, since the league moved to an 82-game schedule in 1967-68, this is the lowest number we have seen.

There is nothing surprising about only 11 players completing the full 72-game slate when considering the chaotic schedule that teams faced this year. But for perspective, while fewer than a dozen players appeared in each game for their squad, that number was as high as 58 in 1999-00.

While it is always impressive for a player to be counted on night after night, this year, that accomplishment deserves even more praise than ever before. In this case, it may even factor into the MVP discussions as Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic was the only All-Star who played all games.

Another individual worth saluting includes No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards, who played the full season despite a coaching and ownership change for his Minnesota Timberwolves.

No one should be too surprised to see RJ Barrett, who finished with the second-most total minutes played in his first season under New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, widely known to expect intense minutes from his roster.

Others who met these qualifications for top playoff contenders include Mikal Bridges (Phoenix), Bojan Bogdanovic (Utah), Georges Niang (Utah) and Ivica Zubac (LA Clippers).

Hopefully, next season will be more normal and we can see more players get the full 82-game experience.

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KJ Martin, Khyri Thomas set career highs in Houston’s loss at Utah

KJ Martin and Khyri Thomas each scored 27 points, but it wasn’t enough for the short-handed Rockets against the NBA’s best team by record.

Rookie forward KJ Martin (27 points, 10 rebounds) scored above 20 points for a third straight game, and it helped keep the Houston Rockets somewhat competitive in Saturday’s 124-116 loss at Utah (box score). Both Martin and newly signed guard Khyri Thomas (27 points, 5 steals) set new career-highs in scoring, and each hit four 3-pointers, as well.

Georges Niang led the Jazz with 24 points, including 6-of-8 (75.0%) on 3-pointers. Jordan Clarkson (21 points) and Bojan Bogdanovic (20 points) also had key roles for Utah, which had six players in double figures.

It was the second road game in 24 hours for a very short-handed Houston squad with only eight available players. Meanwhile, the Jazz (50-18) own the NBA’s best record and were playing at home. The Rockets (16-52) remain in possession of the league’s worst record, while Utah is close to securing home-court advantage throughout the 2021 playoffs.

With Saturday’s loss, Houston clinched one of the NBA’s bottom-three records in the 2020-21 regular season, which will maximize its odds of acquiring a top-four pick in the June 22 draft lottery.

The Rockets were missing 10 of their 17 players under standard contracts: Christian Wood (right ankle), John Wall (right hamstring), Kelly Olynyk (right ankle), Eric Gordon (right groin), Sterling Brown (left knee), Kevin Porter Jr. (left ankle), Avery Bradley (personal reasons), Dante Exum (left calf), David Nwaba (right wrist) and D.J. Wilson (health and safety protocols). Houston got to eight active players, which is the NBA’s minimum to play, by signing Thomas on Friday to a hardship exception.

Houston continues its four-game road trip on Monday night in Portland, with tipoff set for 9:00 p.m. Central. For now, here’s a look at highlights, analysis, and postgame interviews after Saturday’s loss at Utah.

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Andrew Wiggins and the five most improved defensive players in the NBA

As we approach the end of the regular season, we can take a look at the players who have made the biggest leaps during the 2020-21 campaign.

As we approach the end of the regular season, we can take a look at the players who have made the biggest leaps during the 2020-21 campaign.

While there is already an award for the NBA’s Most Improved Player, with emerging stars Julius Randle and Jerami Grant the current favorites to take home the hardware, that trophy is typically given to players who have made a stride on offense.

But just as important, especially for championship contention, is defensive prowess. Players need to become two-way players in order to maximize their potential in the NBA.

After such a long offseason, where many had ample time to improve their games, there are several who stand out as those who have been able to make those leaps in 2020-21.

Below are some of the players around the league who have most improved their game on the defensive side of the floor since last season.

Note that players like Mike Conley, who have historically been very good defenders but had an atypically rough season last year, were not included in this exercise.