The Atlanta Hawks made a pivotal decision before the trade deadline, dealing former No. 4 overall pick De’Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a package consisting of veterans Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, and first-round pick swaps.
Niang, for his part, has been a solid contributor off the bench, shooting the ball at a high clip and providing some edge for a generally young group.
That edge led to a viral exchange with Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes.
“I don’t think that’s out of character, or out of line, or anything like that. I’m a competitor. My bad. I didn’t know it was my job to enhance, or motivate, or pump up the other team’s tires to then compete against them. I’m a competitor. I’m a part of the Atlanta Hawks. Who’s ever across from me, I don’t want to make you feel any more comfortable than you already are out there. So if trash talking is what you have to do, then so be it,” Niang said on the “The Bench Seat” podcast on March 28.
“Look how physical Dillon Brooks plays. That’s his way of not letting other guys feel comfortable. And so the fact of the matter is, Quinn Grimes was making a point to bring me up into the action. Like, ‘Oh come have him switch on me.’ … I’m guarding someone else, and he calls me up. He’s like, ‘Hey bring him up here, because I don’t think he can guard me.’ … My person I’m guarding sets a screen. We switch. So we’re switched, and I get out, and I’m being aggressive and physical because I don’t want him to feel comfortable. The ref calls a foul, and then he makes a comment. At that point, I was into it,” Niang said
“I think he said something like, ‘I’m going at you every time.’ Blah blah blah blah. So then I said what I said because I’m not out there to be like, ‘Yeah. Maybe you should go at me.’ That’s not who I am like, and that’s what has gotten me to this point is being that edgy, fiery competitor.”
The Hawks beat the Sixers 132-119. It is notably their most recent win entering play against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 30.
That win was three games ago entering Sunday.
Georges Niang credits passion for performance
“If you think you’re going to bust my ass, you’re going to have to show me time and time again. And I'm going to make it miserable for you because I’m going to verbally just come at you, and I feel like that’s okay, because there’s no need for it to go anywhere out of bounds besides the basketball part. I didn’t assassinate his character, I didn’t talk about his family. I essentially just talked basketball terms, and then people are like, ‘Oh, why are you hating on him?’” Niang said.
“That’s where I’m like, ‘Okay, so I’m supposed to be here to make this guy feel good?’ Obviously, Quentin Grimes is a great player. He’s really good, right? So I’m not going to sit here and make him feel even better about how he’s feeling like, ‘Hey, Q. You’re awesome. You’ve been killing it, man. Just keep coming at our team.”
Niang’s fire has gotten him in trouble with the officials during games, resulting in technical fouls going against him.
However, he does it all from a respectable place.
“If you’re not wearing a Atlanta Hawks jersey – I feel like it’s a representation of every gritty fan that is,” Niang said. “I’d be doing them a disservice if I was like, ‘Yeah, no, for sure. Go ahead and [score].”
Niang went on to relay that he has also gone through similar razzing from opponents, and he reiterated his respect for Grimes.
However, he did respond to Patrick Beverley, who accused Niang of going to far with Grimes.
“For you to say that I took it too far is like – Pat when I was like a young rookie in Utah, you were trying to f****** crush souls,” Niang said. “Do people remember Pat Bev in Minnesota? I was in Philly, and he would make some comments to the bench trying to splinter teams.
“He knows exactly where this is stemming from and coming from. And listen, I’m not trying to take away anything from Quentin Grimes’ future of how he addressed it saying, ‘GMs will see that like, ‘Aw, get back to the corner.’ Okay? Part of the NBA is you continuously prove yourself and what your capabilities are.”