76ers' Georges Niang Talks Doc Rivers, Nick Nurse, & Free Agency
In this story:
Heading into the upcoming NBA free agency period, Philadelphia 76ers veteran forward Georges Niang is set to see his contract expire, which will officially label him as an unrestricted free agent next month.
Niang joins seven other non-two-way players who could hit the open market and talk shop with other teams. The last time Niang hit the open market, he was coming off a stint with the Utah Jazz. The veteran inked a two-way deal with the 76ers. Philly became Niang’s third NBA home following stints with the Jazz and the Indiana Pacers.
During his first season in Philadelphia, Niang appeared in 76 games. He averaged nine points while shooting 40 percent from three. Last season, Niang played a career-high of 78 games with the Sixers and put up eight points per game while knocking down 40 percent of his threes.
Considering Niang has been a stellar three-point shooter throughout his career, averaging 40 percent from deep, he’ll get some notable interest on the open market. However, if there is an opportunity to return to Philadelphia, it seems Niang is quite interested in continuing his run with the Sixers.
This week, Niang joined ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective to preview the NBA Finals and discuss his future in the NBA. When asked about the Sixers, Niang offered his thoughts on the hiring of Nick Nurse, the firing of Doc Rivers, and the idea of possibly heading back to Philly.
“Obviously, bringing in a guy that you know is a basketball savant,” Niang said of Nurse. “He knows how to junk up games. He knows how to draw ATOs, run offenses, draw up defenses, and how to play defense. He’s done a great job. His Toronto teams are always tough to guard, and they’re always tough to score against. I was extremely pleased to see they hired him, and they’re moving in that direction.”
During Niang’s time with the Sixers, he played for Doc Rivers in the final two seasons of the head coach’s three-year stint. When Rivers came to the Sixers, the expectation was that he would help get the team beyond the second round for the first time since 2001. After three playoff runs, that hasn’t happened. Therefore, the Sixers parted ways with Rivers, and will hit reset with Nurse.
“It was unfortunate what happened with Doc,” Niang continued. “But that happens in the league all the time, right? There are expectations, and when that’s not met, teams kind of just shift. It’s exciting. I don’t know what’s going to happen in free agency. I love being in Philadelphia. I love the organization. Obviously, having Nick Nurse there — he values smart players, and I feel like I fit that realm — I’d be excited to definitely play for him if that opportunity presents itself.”
Niang expressed interest in returning to Philly following the Sixers’ Game 7 loss against the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs last month. That was before the 76ers made the switch to Nurse. Judging based on his recent comments, it seems Niang certainly hasn’t swayed in a different direction.
Now, it’s up to the 76ers to decide whether or not they want to retain the 29-year-old sharpshooter.
