The 76ers are sitting at 8-2 and leading the East, but the early returns have made one thing pretty clear: the shooting and spacing issues are real. And watching Georges Niang carve out a useful role in Golden State only sharpens that point.
Niang, who spent time with Philadelphia before landing with the Warriors, wasn’t exactly a lock to find a new team this offseason. Golden State still took the chance, and so far it’s paying off. With Jimmy Butler still out while recovering from his torn ACL, Niang has given Steve Kerr’s group steady minutes and dependable floor spacing during the Warriors’ 7-3 start.
The start wasn’t smooth. Niang opened the season by missing his first 12 three-point attempts.
Since then, though, he has turned it around in a big way, knocking down nearly 52 percent of his threes over the next seven games. During that stretch, he’s been good for two made triples a night while playing just a little over 20 minutes per game.
That kind of help is exactly what Philadelphia could use. The 76ers have leaned on finishing and defense to win games, but their lack of consistent shooting is becoming harder to ignore. Niang’s game would have fit that need, and the team could have at least explored bringing him back as a training camp invitee.
Doing so would have required a roster move, but with the need for more spacing already obvious before camp even opened, it would have been a sensible swing for a low-cost veteran.
Instead, the Sixers are left to work with what they have. For Niang, though, the move to San Francisco has become a welcome surprise after a season lost to a foot injury and a stretch that once looked like it might lead to an early end.
In Other News...
Former 76ers First-Rounder Just Got A Brutal NBA Reminder
The Thunder made a quick roster move this week, sending two future second-round picks to Sacramento to land Nique Clifford and clear a spot for a team still trying to keep its footing through a wave of injuries. For Oklahoma City, the deal was about adding another body to a roster that has had to stay competitive while managing the wear and tear that comes with a long season.
To make room, the Thunder waived Dalen Terry, who had been signed less than a week earlier on a non-guaranteed deal. It was a sharp reminder of how thin the margin can be for young players trying to stick in the league, and for a former first-rounder like Terry, it leaves another uncertain stop in a career that has yet to find real traction. [Read more 🡒]
Embiids Frustration Just Exposed A Bigger Sixers Problem
Joel Embiids frustration after a recent loss went beyond one rough shooting night. The 76ers center said the offense has felt congested, a fair reflection of a team still working through the early effects of major roster change and the challenge of fitting new star pieces around a player who has long been the center of everything Philadelphia does.
For Embiid, the issue is not just volume but rhythm, with his role shifting enough to affect the flow that usually makes him so hard to guard. The Sixers now have to sort out how to create cleaner offensive conditions for him, and that falls on the coaching staff as much as on the players trying to make the fit work. [Read more 🡒]
76ers Shrugged Off A Pregame Troll And Kept Rolling In The East
Before the ball was even tipped, Benny the Bull was already working the crowd, playfully poking at LeBron James during the 76ers starting lineup introductions by offering wine cups. It was the kind of pregame bit that can set a tone in an arena, but Philadelphia had little interest in getting pulled into the sideshow. The Sixers handled the moment the same way theyve handled most things early this season, with poise and enough firepower to keep control once the game actually started.
Philadelphia still had to earn it, though, in a 127-121 win over Chicago that featured five players in double figures and another steady night from James, who finished with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists. The victory pushed the Sixers to 9-2 and kept them atop the Eastern Conference standings, a reminder that the punchline in Chicago ended up being the same as it has been for much of this stretch: Philadelphia keeps rolling, no matter whats happening around the edges. [Read more 🡒]