This is what happens when a collective is running at full speed, as is the case in Cleveland at the start of the year. Everyone benefits, evolves with confidence and individualities stand out from the crowd.
This is what currently makes the Cavs strong, on a series of six victories after another success last night against the Bucks (135-95). The meeting was notably marked by the new career record of Georges Nianga peak of 33 points while he had never exceeded 24 points!
Post 4 started the game with a perfect, 8/8 shooting to end the first half at 20 points. He then continued his momentum, with plenty of confidence to finish with an impressive 13/14 shooting. The player was therefore able to savor after the meeting, even if he did not let himself get drunk.
” I'm not fooled. You have to know how to have amnesia, even when you have good matches”, he recalled. ” It's awesome. I'm very happy. But we have a long series of matches to play until the end of the month. We have more important things to aim for. That said, I'm going to enjoy what happened. I'm not going to deprive myself of this moment. It was super cool for me, my teammates got involved and looked for me, especially after I started getting closer to my career best.”
Donovan Mitchell's pride
As the match progressed, Georges Niang felt the ball becoming lighter and lighter and the circle expanding until he found himself “in the zone”. Like all shooters, he also knows the importance of maintaining a high level of confidence, regardless of the outcome of his attempts. This night, it paid off, so much the better!
“I didn't even know that I was 8 of 8 at the break, but I knew that I was taking shots, that I was feeling good and that the ball was moving well. In the second half, everyone was starting to wonder what my career best score was. It occurred to me”he added. “I just think every shot is a unique shot. You have to do things the same way every time. That’s a bit like how I approach the match every night, even when I start at 1 out of 7.”
His performance also earned him the congratulations of his teammates, including the closest of them, Donovan Mitchell, who symbolically presented him with the match ball after the match. After playing together for four years at Jazz (2017-2021), the two players were happy to reunite in Cleveland this season.
“His energy is always positive”underlined Donovan Mitchell. “I saw his progress as he saw mine. He's a guy who works tirelessly. We all love him. We all love his energy. Evenings like this are incredible for bringing your work to fruition. It's great to see that for someone who I've considered not only a teammate, but a friend since I entered the league. He had a positive influence on my career. I hope he can replicate that for a while.”
An important role to vary the Cavs’ offensive threat
JB Bickerstaff also recalled the importance of Georges Niang in his team. The face of the team can in fact completely change if Caris LeVert, Max Strus, Georges Niang and other Jarrett Allen play their part to perfection to support Donovan Mitchell, while awaiting the imminent return of Darius Garland.
“We know what he is capable of”slipped his coach. “I think one of the things we've seen is that there's more to his game than just being an elite shooter. When you see the touch he has once he’s able to get in the paint, how he can use his body to create shots. He found his rhythm, his teammates found him and he continued to shoot with confidence.”
Cleveland's great series will now be put to the test with a four-game road trip which begins this Saturday in Atlanta and continues in Orlando, before a double clash in Milwaukee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDVCtte-UQ
| Georges Niang | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | IND | 23 | 4 | 25.0 | 8.3 | 100.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.9 |
| 2017-18 | UTH | 9 | 4 | 36.4 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| 2018-19 | UTH | 59 | 9 | 47.5 | 41.0 | 83.3 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 4.0 |
| 2019-20 | UTH | 66 | 14 | 43.8 | 40.0 | 83.3 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 5.9 |
| 2020-21 | UTH | 72 | 16 | 43.7 | 42.5 | 95.7 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 6.9 |
| 2021-22 | PHL | 76 | 23 | 43.7 | 40.3 | 88.1 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 9.2 |
| 2022-23 | PHL | 78 | 19 | 44.2 | 40.1 | 86.7 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 8.2 |
| 2023-24 | KEY | 38 | 22 | 41.0 | 34.9 | 85.7 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 8.6 |
| Total | 421 | 16 | 43.5 | 39.7 | 87.0 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 6.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
