The Utah Jazz had plenty of questions this season that took little time to get answered, like: Is Lauri Markkanen actually good? Yes! Or, would this be Keyonte George's last season with the Jazz? No! Or, is Walker Kessler's free agency going to be a problem for Utah this summer?
...TBD!
But there's been one Jazz-related question that strangely hasn't gotten much attention and still hasn't been answered after all this time: what happened to Georges Niang?
Jazz fans likely don't care at this point because Niang's not on the team anymore thanks to the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. Still, not a whole lot has been explained about what went down between when he got back and when they got rid of him. By all accounts, the Jazz were excited to reunite with Niang four years after he skipped town, but an injury before preseason started got in the way.
From there, Niang remained out indefinitely, even though it sounded like Utah didn't think it was a serious injury, but there were hardly any updates. Plus, before they jettisoned him to Memphis, there were whispers they might trade him.
For a situation that had a fair amount of hope going in, not only did Niang never play, but there was never any clarity on what happened behind the scenes.
It's only gotten weirder since the Jazz traded him
The Jazz included Niang in the JJJ trade, but many already knew he wouldn't play a game for the Grizzlies, whether he was healthy or not. After they waived him, Niang still remains a free agent.
It's not like the ex-Jazzman is that big of a game-changer, but he has proven, both with the Jazz and since leaving in 2021, how impactful a player he is as both a sniper and a veteran leader. One would think a contender would get their hands on him this late in the season and the playoffs right around the corner.
But no, all indications are that Niang won't play this season, seemingly confirming that the stress fracture in his foot was a bigger deal that everyone initially thought. It's likely he'll play next season, but so much was kept in the dark about this.
Here's to hoping that this isn't it for Niang, as he was a great story during his first tenure in Utah that only got better once he left. Maybe it's not over for good between Utah and Niang, as the Jazz will look for diamond in the rough signings with their payroll about to get expensive over the next few years.
Niang would fit that bill pretty well as long as he's okay, and last we checked, he's not(?).