Philadelphia 76ers: Georges Niang brings a lot to the table

In the Philadelphia 76ers‘ third preseason game of the season, Georges Niang spent a good chunk of the evening covering and being covered by James Harden.

Mind you, the Sixers’ backcourt was in a weird spot, with Furkan Korkmaz and Isaiah Joe starting at unidentifiable guard positions but having a 6-foot-7, 230-pound combo forward known for his meddling athleticism cover one of the best ISO scorers in the league was a fun sight to see, even if it didn’t deter Harden from putting up 21 points in 28 minutes of action.

Could we see round two of this interpositional showdown when the Brooklyn Nets take on the Sixers next Friday in the team’s ESPN broadcast home opener at the Wells Fargo Center? Hopefully not, as Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and maybe even Ben Simmons will be back on the court versus their neighbors up I-95, but it does highlight just how versatile Niang can be in the Sixers scheme at both ends of the court.

No wonder Doc Rivers explicitly reached out to the player affectionately known as “Minivan” during the summer about a spot on the team: The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t had a player with the George Niang’s set of skills in quite some time.

Georges Niang is going to be a minivan full of fun for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t have a single traditional forward in their playoff rotation in 2021.

Now granted, technically, one could classify both Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Korkmaz as small forward if need be, and who could ever forget the 34 total minutes of playoff action Mike Scott logged for the Sixers in five games of action, but as a general rule, the team had to stagger the minutes of Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris at the four spot to keep up with big-bodied, inside-out scoring forwards like John Collins and Danilo Gallinari.

Georges Niang fixes that issue.

Measuring in at 6-foot-7, 230-pound with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, Niang has increased his points, assists, rebounds, and 3 point shooting attempts per game from his rookie season with the Indiana Pacers to his low-key breakout campaign with the Utah Jazz in 2020-21. Niang can guard multiple positions, play multiple positions, and, most importantly of all, score in multiple ways depending on how the defense plays him.

Do you want a slo-mo driver who can get you points around the bucket? Niang is your guy. How about a clutch secondary passer who can keep a possession going if a shot isn’t open? Niang can do that too, even if it doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet. And what about a wing-waiting 3 point shooter with a wicked quick release?

Well, let’s just say in fine people of Utah didn’t call Niang “Fat Curry” for nothing.

For the low-low price of $6.76 million over two years, Niang might just go down as the Sixers’ best-value free agency addition in years, even if he doesn’t bring the same marquee quality that many a fan was hoping for in the Sixers’ free agency class of 2021.

Sidebar: After watching guards like Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, and Doc Rivers’ own son Austin sign deals that could have been slotted into the remainder of the mid-level exception, the Sixers decision to punt on signing a veteran guard outside of Shaquille Harrison looks rather foolish even with Simmons back.

Whether tasked with playing the three, the four, or switching between the two in any given game, Niang presents the Sixers with yet another 6-foot-7 wing who can switch on defense, do a little supplementary playmaking, and, most importantly of all, shoot the ball at a 40-plus percent clip from beyond the arc.

All in all, if Niang can maintain his exemplary efficiency while playing eight more minutes a night, the Sixers might have stumbled on something really special.

So far, the Philadelphia 76ers haven’t made a single move this season that will change their championship chances all that much for better or worse. That isn’t going to happen until Ben Simmons is or isn’t moved at some point in the future, and the results of that deal – or non-deal – will surely define the team’s future both now and moving forward far more than the decision to sign or not sign a player making less than $5 million AAV. With that being said, Georges Niang still presents pretty incredible value as a do-it-all hybrid-forward who fills a very definite need on the team moving forward. Until the Simmons deal gets done, that’s something to hang our hat on.