Donovan Mitchell and Georges Niang may not play for the Utah Jazz anymore, but it is cool to see a former Jazz teammate stick up for another. Mitchell just did that for Niang when a fan mocked Niang on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
When an X user that goes by the name of HQ called out Niang when he wrote, "This poor kid had to attend George Niang’s basketball camp." Mitchell responded to his post, telling him to "Chill out..."
Chill out…
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) July 26, 2024
Mitchell and Niang are currently teammates on the Cavaliers, where they've helped Cleveland go as far as the second round of the NBA playoffs. In other words, they've gone about as far as they went with the Jazz during their time.
This doesn't involve the Jazz much, but it is cool to see a former Jazzman defend another when a fan is taking uncalled for shots at them.
Donovan Mitchells & Georges Niang's stories with Jazz
Mitchell's and Niang's stories with the Jazz are pretty unique, though Jazz fans know Mitchell's full and well. Although plenty know that Mitchell became one of the league's young stars in Utah, no one expected him to become as good as he did when the Jazz traded for his draft rights in 2017.
Because of Mitchell's unexpectedly electric rookie season, the Jazz had a much better season than everyone had anticipated following Gordon Hayward's infamous departure. While they didn't accomplish what they sought out to do, Mitchell helped keep the Jazz's relevance in the NBA.
Even when the Jazz traded Mitchell to the Cavaliers, there were no hard feelings because it felt as though that Jazz team had run its course. Even if they didn't get what they wanted, Mitchell did not leave a sour taste in the Jazz fandom's mouth like Hayward did.
While Mitchell unexpectedly turned into a star, Niang unexpectedly turned into an NBA player. While not drafted by the Jazz, Niang worked his way up to becoming a rotation player for Utah after starting out with their G-League affiliate, the SLC Stars.
He never came anywhere close to the same heights Mitchell did during time his time in Utah, but he impressed enough that he's in the second year of a four-year, $32 million contract. Much like Mitchell, Jazz fans have nothing against Niang. In fact, him panning out as well as he did is another example of the several players who benefited from their time in the G-League.