Coming into his first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers , it was assumed Georges Niang would fill a specific need — knocking down threes. That didn't quite happen in the early going, but in November, the 30-year-old forward found his mark from distance.
During that month, Niang hit 40.3 percent of his triple tries, attempting over four per game. That's the kind of shooting the organization was after in the summer. He will continue to make a difference in that department moving forward too.
However, it's not the only way Niang has made his presence felt. With teams hard-closing on him on the perimeter, he has done an excellent job of attacking off the dribble. While he isn't racking up assists on the stat sheet, he is responsible for helping shift opposing defenses and keeping the ball moving off the second side.
And, in many instances, he is just taking close-range shots. This season, 40.7 percent of Niang's field-goal attempts have been two-pointers. Percentage-wise, that's the most shots he's taken inside the arc since his third season in the NBA.
"I mean, you want to start from the inside out when you're trying to get in a flow and make shots. In our offense, from how it started, that's kind of where some of my shots have been," Niang said after Monday's practice. "Early on in the year, I was taking some heavily contested threes and not making them, so using my shot fake and getting to the rim has been working out for me.
"It worked out in Detroit, and hopefully, it continues to work out through the year, but no, I didn't come in expecting that. But sometimes you just have to... I don't wanna say reevaluate your game and your situation. Sometimes you kinda got to get in where you fit in."
His three-point rate is still up there — not nearly as much as his past seasons — but he's oftentimes gone to a push shot over the top that has added a secondary threat to his arsenal. Still, it's not lost on Niang that his long-range ability is his primary skill.
"I would say if the ball keeps going in it'll be encouraged. I'm not sure if the ball doesn't go in if they'll keep encouraging me to put the ball on the floor," Niang said with a chuckle. "I think the ability that these guys have given me to play-make off the bounce and get into the lane and shoot floaters is kind of unique here because there's always a big man that's ready to catch a lob at the rim.
"Anybody who understands the NBA, a lot of guys don't like their guy scoring, so when I get into the lane, a lot of bigs are just backing right up to Evan [Mobley] or JA (Jarrett Allen) or even TT (Tristan Thompson) because they know that's an easy two points. Whereas they'd probably want me to try and make a layup that isn't a dunk, so we're gonna stick to it."
Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is more than happy to allow Niang to put each part of his skill set on display.
"I think the catch-and-shoot is something we all saw a lot of, but I think watching him and his ability to put the ball on the floor and get to his spot to shoot that little touch floater is something we didn’t realize he had in his game," Bickerstaff said. "And it’s been helpful too because people close him out so hard. Him being able to put the ball on the floor, get to his spots is obviously beneficial.
"You want to give guys the freedom to play basketball and limit how often you put them in a box. In doing that, you give guys confidence and freedom, and then they show you things and show you there is more to their games. That’s what we’re all about is trying to elevate each individual to be the best they can be within the team and within the system. So, every little tool helps everybody.”
Since Nov. 13, Niang has averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in over 22 minutes per game. He's shot 49.4 percent from the field, canning 43.8 percent of his treys.
There's no question about how crucial Niang has been to the Cavs on a nightly basis. Hopefully, with him admittedly growing more comfortable every night, that continues.
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