Georges Niang arrived in Golden State with a reputation as a shooter, and that part of the scouting report has held up. But the Warriors have gotten a lot more than spacing from him in the early going.
In Saturday’s win over the Magic, Steve Kerr trusted Niang in the kind of stretch that tells you plenty about a player’s standing. Niang came back in with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter, briefly sat for defensive purposes, then stayed on the floor through the entire overtime as the Warriors finished off their seventh straight victory.
That kind of usage fits the way Golden State has already come to lean on him. A career 40% three-point shooter, Niang has blended into the rotation fast after missing all of last season with a foot injury. His passing, screening, cuts, post touches, drives and willingness to make the extra play have made him more than a floor-spacer alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
He started slowly from deep, missing his first 12 attempts over his first three games. Since then, though, he’s been rolling during the winning streak, shooting over 50% from three on nearly four attempts a night.
He’s also scored in double figures in four of his last five games. Still, Kerr’s biggest compliment wasn’t about the shot.
“I've always loved him,” Kerr said of Niang. “I loved him coming out of the draft.
Ten years ago, he was with us at training camp that year or maybe the next year. We wanted to keep him then.
I’ve watched him over the years. He’s just a great processor.”
Kerr’s idea of a processor is a player who can see the game a step ahead, recognize what’s developing, and react faster than the defense can. He even pointed to Puka Nacua’s off-the-charts “play speed” as a football example.
That kind of feel has helped Niang click almost immediately with Curry and Green, a pairing that can take time for most newcomers. In 106 shared minutes this season, the three veterans have posted a +15.6 net rating.
One sequence against the Heat last week showed exactly why Kerr keeps trusting him. Niang took the ball from Curry just past half court, moved it to Green, then instantly set a pin-down screen for Steph, who buried the three.
Kerr said he never called it. He called it “concept basketball,” and Niang’s ability to read the moment made it work.
That same feel showed up in the Warriors’ win over the Suns last week. Niang had a clean look on the wing, but instead of firing right away, he held the ball as Curry drifted to the corner.
Dillon Brooks, guarding Steph, left Curry to close out on Niang. Niang then bounced the ball to Curry in the corner, where Steph pump-faked to get Oso Ighodaro in the air and knocked down the shot.
A good shot turned into a better one.
“He would tell you he’s overcome some physical limitations in the way you have to outsmart the game,” Curry said of “The Minivan.” “And that’s how he’s made it this far in his career from Santa Cruz all the way to every stop he’s been at.”
The Warriors also like the edge he brings. Teammates have already noted how much trash talk he carries around, and De’Anthony Melton said Niang essentially “blacks out” once he steps on the court. In 10 appearances, he’s already been involved in three altercations: with Collin Sexton against the Lakers, with Bobby Portis against the Heat, and with Wendell Carter Jr. against the Magic.
Kerr said that mix - the “class clown” off the floor and the fiery competitor on it - is part of what makes him useful. Draymond Green put it even more directly.
“Number one is toughness,” Green said when asked what Niang brings that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. “ He’s brought an edge to this group, which is incredible.”
Green also said Niang reminds him of Otto Porter Jr., another under-the-radar addition who ended up mattering a lot during the Warriors’ 2022 championship run. Niang has already become a key part of Golden State’s second unit and its go-to inbounder in important moments, and he’s doing it by taking what the game gives him.
“The ball will find the right place” is one of the organization’s favorite sayings, Niang said. If he’s open, he’ll shoot.
If not, he’ll look to create something better for someone else. And if the first option isn’t there, he’s got a backup plan.
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