Atlanta Hawks: 4 Young Players to Take a Chance On
By Dallin Duffy
Georges Niang
Similar to Tyrone Wallace above, Georges Niang is a talented player buried behind a skilled and deep roster.
He’s slotted behind Derrick Favors, Jae Crowder and Royce O’Neale on the Utah depth chart, but has objectively played well despite mainly appearing in garbage time.
A true stretch 4, he’s shooting 42% from 3, second on the Jazz and better than anyone on the Hawks currently. Utah hasn’t taken full advantage of his scoring ability however, as he’s getting less than 7 minutes a game. They’re currently on the outside looking in for the playoffs, and they’ll need to decide if playing Niang more will get them in position for a berth.
He is on the first year of the three-year deal he signed with the Jazz in July, so Utah could see how things shake out and keep him as a stash for the future, but they could also use him as a trade chip to deal for someone like Jeremy Lin.
Niang doesn’t bring much to the table besides sharp-shooting and above average passing, but he is just 25-years-old, and has improved already during his 3 years in the league.