Philadelphia 76ers: Let’em fly, Georges Niang
Where were you when James Harden made his NBA debut? Did you fly to Minnesota? Hit up Xfinity Live? Or simply grab some Bdubs and watch the game from home with your dog?
This question will probably be asked for years to come and may be worn as a badge of honor, just like the debuts of Joel Embiid, Allen Iverson, and many, many others before them.
Why? Because we’re entering a new era. “The Process” is over. It worked. Sam Hinkie’s assets, in a roundabout way, secured the Philadelphia 76ers a former MVP – only the third time that happened in franchise history – and now the team’s energy must shift from potential to kinetic in a matter of weeks in the leadup to the 2022 NBA playoffs.
Will it work? Will the Philadelphia 76ers run a parade down Broad Street in the not-too-distant future, or will this simply be the next “what if” in a series of “what ifs” that have haunted the team since 2013? Either way, the style Doc Rivers’ team plays is about to change, and players like Georges Niang are going to have to take advantage of that stylistic overload.
Georges Niang needs to shoot the lights out for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Have you ever watched the SNL skit titled “Diner Lobster?”
It’s a weird, John Mulaney-penned musical number in the style of Les Miserables that warns against ordering the lobster at a diner, as the saltwater crustacean might have established a life and family in their new home.
As Chris Redd’s character points out, while “Big Nick’s Greek Diner” might technically offer a lobster, it’s more for show and is even in quotations to signify that it’s a joke.
Why, you may ask, is this relevant to the Philadelphia 76ers? Well, because Georges Niang is a shooter, but much like diner lobster, he isn’t a shooter shooter. He’s a 3 point shooter and with James Harden set to join the team versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, that has to be the role he openly accepts moving forward.
Now mind you, Niang is a very talented basketball player. He can shoot the lights out of an arena with a whip-quick release from beyond the arc, play solid defense, and even set a screen or two for good measure.
Moving forward, that has to be Niang’s bread and butter; not driving to the basket, not taking contested 2s, heaven knows not posting up, just playing the prototypical role of being a 3-and-D guy.
Fortunately, that’s what Niang was signed to do, and a role he is very equipped to play.
With James Harden and Joel Embiid, the Sixers now have two of the top-10 most double-teamed players in the NBA. Assuming that trend continues, which it should, that will free up a ton of open looks for players like Niang, Furkan Korkmaz, and especially Matisse Thybulle, who may never get guarded on the wings again. If those shots go in, the Sixers will be able to steamroll foes with ease. If they don’t, things are going to be a whole lot harder.
Fortunately, Niang is the team’s best 3 point shooter and should be used as such moving forward.
Next. Ready your shooter sleeve, Matisse Thybulle. dark
After watching Georges Niang commit a turnover on a drive early in the Philadelphia 76ers’ eventual win over the Milwaukee Bucks, a street-clothed James Harden yelled at his teammate to “put up 10 3s.” While that may seem like a hyperbolic statement, as only two players in the NBA today average double-digit 3s per game, Niang took it to heart and finished out the game with 5-10 shooting from beyond the arc. That is the wave players like Niang, and the rest of the Sixers’ reserves need to ride moving forward, being the surf to Harden and Joel Embiid’s ISO turf.