Utah Jazz: Niang, Mitrou-Long win ‘Meet the Team’ 3-PT contest

In Friday evening’s Utah Jazz ‘Meet the Team’ event, Georges Niang and Naz Mitrou-Long came out on top in the 3-point contest.

With NBA preseason tipping off on Friday and the Utah Jazz getting things underway with a preseason game of their own on Saturday against the Perth Wildcats, the start of the season is truly upon us! In preparation for that fact, the Utah Jazz got things started off on a good note by hosting an exciting ‘Meet the Team’ event on Friday evening.

While there were several neat occurrences which took place throughout the night, the highlight of the event was definitely the 3-point contest. Players were paired off for the competition, and it may surprise you who ultimately came out on top.

No, it wasn’t 3-point extraordinaire Joe Ingles (though it should be noted that he didn’t participate). Nor was it rising star Donovan Mitchell or starting point guard Ricky Rubio. It wasn’t Rudy Gobert either who, in his defense, didn’t look bad from deep (as you can see in the video below). No, instead of those players, it was actually two guys who most presume will be towards the end of the rotation, Georges Niang and Naz Mitrou-Long.

Last season, both of them earned two-way contracts with the Jazz at one point or another. Heading into this season, Mitrou-Long, despite losing said contract last season, re-earned his two-way spot. Meanwhile, Niang climbed the ranks even higher by claiming his very own NBA contract.

It obviously took a lot of work for him to get there, and that dedication is clearly paying off. Winning a silly preseason 3-point contest certainly isn’t the accomplishment of all accomplishments, but it is a nice sign and a further confirmation of something I’ve believed for a while.

Georges Niang is going to be a contributor this season.

Despite his lack of true NBA experience, the fact that he won the contest isn’t that surprising to me. He’s proven himself as an excellent 3-point shooter. In 15 games played with the Salt Lake City Stars last season, he converted on a scorching 52.7 percent of his nearly five 3-point attempts per game. I know that’s against G-League competition, but heck, I don’t care if you’re shooting in an empty gym with no defense in sight, 52.7 percent is a blistering amount.

If he can carry that kind of efficiency over to the NBA, he’s definitely going to find playing time. He has plenty of other skills that will make him a valuable stretch-four option as well. His hustle and heart are second-to-none, and if that shot continues to fall, he’s going to be deadly.

Niang’s overall 3-point percentage last season, even when including his time with the Santa Cruz Warriors, was still a scorching 45.7 percent. Despite a rocky start from deep in his early G-League days, his career figure is at 43.5 percent. That’s some consistency. As I said, his 3-point contest winning performance was no fluke. Georges has a sweet stroke and can really fill it up. I’m excited to see him get that opportunity this season.

Naz has a longer road to go if he hopes to match Niang’s potential opportunity in 2018-19, but he’s still a very good shooter himself as well. He went 37.8 percent from beyond the perimeter in the G-League last year, and showed brilliant flashes during the Summer League.

He’s disadvantaged in that Niang has a better all-around game, but if Mitrou-Long continues to work as hard as his former Iowa State teammate has, he could very well shock the world and find an NBA spot sometime down the road as well.

However you look at it, it’s exciting to see two young players reaching their dreams and continuing to aspire for more. Their 3-point contest winning performance on Friday was little more than further confirmation that they’re both on a bright and brilliant path forward.