Georges Niang spent a couple of memorable seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. From 2021 to 2023, he was arguably the team’s most reliable spot-up shooter, thriving with the ample space he was able to generate for the likes of Joel Embiid and James Harden when he was still part of the roster. He turned in some of his best performances as a pro in Philly, and was definitely one of the darlings of the crowd thanks to his solid play and positive energy across the board.
Since leaving Philly to seek more money in free agency a couple of years ago, Niang has remained one of the league’s most reliable floor spacers. He was a key cog for the Cavaliers until he was traded last season before teh deadline to the Hawks, where he likewise enjoyed success. This summer, he was traded twice, first to the Celtics, and then back to the Jazz, his former team.
Unfortunately for the former 76ers sharpshooter, he has yet to sniff action this season. He is still recovering from a foot injury that he suffered before the campaign even began. While he is not that far away from being reevaluated in hopes of possibly making his season debut, by the looks of it, Utah will most likely not hand him the kind of role he had since initially leaving the Jazz.
Former 76ers sharpshooter Georges Niang will have a hard time landing a consistent role
Unlike the 76ers, the Jazz actually have a deep rotation at the forward positions. Lauri Markkanen, who has been playing like an All-Star again, has been soaking up the majority of minutes therein, while Svi Mykhailiuk, Kyle Filipowski, and Kyle Anderson have been more than serviceable as well.
Rookie Ace Bailey, who had to weather a rough start, is finally starting to look as good as advertised, and his minutes are starting to rise.
Taking those into consideration, Niang may not really have a clear way to getting a considerable role with the Jazz. His three-point shooting, which is his main and probably only selling point at age 32, is not really enough to offset the opportunity cost of eating away into the minutes of those players, as well as the risk of him being a traffic cone on defense, which has never been a strength of his due to his lack of foot speed.
With the right team, Niang can still be an impactful role player. However, given the Jazz’s circumstances, former Sixer may see his career start to dwindle, and his age certainly does not help.
Hopefully, the 76ers fan favorite can get back to playing shape and from thereon, he could perhaps work things out with the front office to send him to a more ideal situation, especially if he does not play as much as he’s used to — which should be expected at this point.