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Utah Jazz: Georges Niang has been surprisingly effective in crunch time

Josh Padmore|
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 11: Georges Niang #31 of the Utah Jazz drives past Josh Hart #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half of a NBA game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 11, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 11: Georges Niang #31 of the Utah Jazz drives past Josh Hart #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half of a NBA game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on January 11, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)

It might be just me, but it seems that every game the Utah Jazz play, Quin Snyder puts Georges Niang on the floor for crucial fourth-quarter minutes.

George Niang‘s journey to the NBA and the Utah Jazz has really been something. He went from being a chunky tweener, to being one of the best college basketball players in the world, to getting drafted by an NBA team real quick.

The journey doesn’t stop there. Niang fought his way onto the Indiana Pacers roster as a second-round draft pick. He also knows what it’s like to be waived. After being waived, Niang was fighting for his life again, signing a training camp deal with the Golden State Warriors before netting a two-way contract with the Jazz.

Now, Niang is on a standard NBA contract, is shooting about 40 percent from three and is giving the Jazz some quality fourth-quarter minutes.

When healthy, Niang won’t be playing much for the Jazz. He does get those spot minutes in the first half and in the fourth quarter, though. Niang checked into Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth and made a big 3-pointer to swell the lead up.

In the final carom this season, Niang has averaged about two points per game on 43-percent shooting from 3-point land. For a guy who’s averaging under eight minutes per game on the season, that’s pretty good. He enters the game and does his job. He’s actually played in the fourth quarter in 34 of the 37 games he’s played this year.

Whether it’s garbage time minutes or important minutes, Niang continues to improve. The Jazz are 22-12 in those 34 games in which Niang helps close things out. I think this is important because it shows the trust that Quin Snyder has in him. It’s rare you see a player like Niang, who doesn’t play all that much, get minutes in the fourth quarter in pivotal moments.

Nonetheless, it’s nice to see Niang having an impact on the Jazz. I’ve always been a big fan of his — he isn’t the most athletic and doesn’t have long arms, but he’s a hard worker, a skilled player and has a high basketball IQ.

In otehr words, just the kind of player Jazz fans can get behind.

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