What's new
By:

Georges Niang is a Good Defensive Player?

Saint Cy of JFC

Saint Cy of JFC

Well-Known Member
2022 Award Winner
2025 Award Winner
Watching Georges Niang stonewall Desmond Bane into a TO while he isolated him I cam to a realization, Georges Niang is good at defense. Not just average, but actually good. I checked his Basketball Reference page today, the dude is now a positive 0.1 DBPM. Truly incredible. His defense has certainly passed the eye test this year.

But it isnt only crisp rotations and smart defense, the dude also ranks in the 95th percentile for isolation defense.

Per minute Niang gets iso'd more than any other Jazz player and he (per NBA.com) :
  • allows 24% FG percentage
  • Forces a TO 18% of the time
  • Only sends a player to the line on 5% of isolation attempts

I was pretty all-in on upgrading Niang, but maybe I was wrong. I know we all want OPJR in Niang's minutes, but maybe Niang is actually better than OPJR this year?
 
Sometimes defense is about taking up space, and Georges has some size. He moves his feet very well, anticipates well, and moves efficiently. Maybe something he's picking up a bit from Joe Ingles. He also almost never goes for fakes because he's pretty much too slow to.
 
Yes, it has been a sudden realization. I used to rate his defense in relation to the other players on the court but he has been legit on his own. Such smart crisp rotations and he is barely out of position. Not many players can lower his shoulder and move him out of the way either.

He should get paid this off-season.
 
The defense improves when he is on the court. He is probably the 5th best defender on the team. He is going to get a contract from another team this summer to start.
 
Every year in the playoffs someone comes out of nowhere and gets recognized for their defense. Tyronne Lue on AI. Raja Bell in the finals. Lu Dort last year. Exum as the Harden stopper in our minds. This year Niang is going to be tearing up Kawhi, LeBron, and Durant.
 
I've been in the (probably pretty small) "I wouldn't swap Georges for Blake Griffin" camp after seeing the Jazz demolish Blake in the first meeting this season. I really like what I see.
 
hgb said:
I've been in the (probably pretty small) "I wouldn't swap Georges for Blake Griffin" camp after seeing the Jazz demolish Blake in the first meeting this season. I really like what I see.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure that's a small camp. I think there are only a couple people here who said they'd take Blake.
 
infection said:
I'm not sure that's a small camp. I think there are only a couple people here who said they'd take Blake.
Click to expand...
Maybe not that small around here. I took some ridicule in my Norwegian non-Jazz basketball quarters.
 
Niang is now a good team defender who fits our defensive scheme perfectly with his minivan body. He is bulkier than most players in his position which allows him to stonewall those guys when he gets up close. His one major weakness on D is his lateral speed but the presence of Rudy simply allows him to close in on his opponent without the worry of getting blown by. It's almost if he is made perfectly for our funneling to the big system. He may get a bigger offer from somewhere else in the summer, but it'd be smart for him to stay.
 
jom2003 said:
Niang is now a good team defender who fits our defensive scheme perfectly with his minivan body. He is bulkier than most players in his position which allows him to stonewall those guys when he gets up close. His one major weakness on D is his lateral speed but the presence of Rudy simply allows him to close in on his opponent without the worry of getting blown by. It's almost if he is made perfectly for our funneling to the big system. He may get a bigger offer from somewhere else in the summer, but it'd be smart for him to stay.
Click to expand...
He has stopped Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and Ja Morant a few times this season. I made notice of it in the game threads. His perimeter D is a strength too especially if he is ISO'd as the stats show.
 
infection said:
Every year in the playoffs someone comes out of nowhere and gets recognized for their defense. Tyronne Lue on AI. Raja Bell in the finals. Lu Dort last year. Exum as the Harden stopper in our minds. This year Niang is going to be tearing up Kawhi, LeBron, and Durant.
Click to expand...
Niang's defense has improved a lot, but these guys are not tissue paper.
 
I think he has made huge strides in his defense and defensive effort.

That being said, I recall David Locke talking about this and saying that one of the things Quin has adjusted this season, is trying to get the bench unit more minutes with Gobert on the floor with them. So, Niang's minutes playing alongside Gobert have gone up a bit, while Bogdanovic's minutes alongside Rudy have decreased.

Basically, the Jazz REALLY need 2 Goberts in order for this team to be 100% lethal. I think that's a big part of why Udoka was their 1st draft pick.
 
He's definitely been to the Joe Ingles school of defensive positioning and his effort to recover on missed rotations is better than ever.
 
He's noticeably improved, but let's not forget that he's playing nearly all of his minutes with Gobert now and he wasn't last year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page
Back
Top