Georges Niang has played in a lot of Utah Jazz games — 206 to be exact — but he’s yet to take the court since the team reacquired him back in August.
Niang has been sidelined since suffering a stress reaction fracture in his left foot during the offseason. But on Friday, the team announced that Niang had been cleared for on-court activity and is in a return to play program, which will see him re-evaluated in one week.
Despite Niang’s absence from games and his lack of familiarity with a roster that has completely turned over since his last stint in Utah ended in 2021, he’s become an integral voice for the team.
“He’s got an incredible basketball mind,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “He’s really smart. He explains things to the young players really well. Like, he’s a good teacher.”
Through every Jazz game this season, Niang has been pacing the sidelines, calling out to players, advocating for them to the officiating crew and talking animatedly in huddles. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he was on the coaching staff.
For someone who has often been seen as a bit of a goofball, albeit a great teammate, it’s a bit of a change of pace for Niang to be viewed as one of more impactful voices on a team.
Hardy says that that Niang has not lost his ability to provide comic relief and that he still brings levity to a lot of situations, but, importantly, Niang doesn’t lose the plot when there are serious matters that need to be discussed.
“The thing I’ve really come to value about Georges is that he has such a quick wit and a great sense of humor, but he can do it and stay focused,” Hardy said.
“He uses humor to make serious points. Like, he’ll say things to some of the younger players, sometimes in a joking way, but the message itself, when you really listen, makes sense.”
The younger players on the roster have really taken to Niang and it took only days of being around him for them to realize that the things he has to say are important and can really help them.
“I never listen to Georges’ tone, but I listen to the message every time,” Keyonte George said. “He’s been around a lot of great lead guards, so for me, specifically, he helps me break the game down.
“He talks a lot to me during the game, and he’s actually really good for me. He’s a big time voice.”
Don’t be fooled by the near constant smile and all the joking from Niang. He’s also shown a harder side to the Jazz’s young core. He’s been firm with them and told them plainly when they aren’t doing things right.
For some of the Jazz’s younger players, Niang is a different type of vet than they’ve had in their young NBA careers.
“Since I’ve been here, I feel like we haven’t had a voice quite like that,” George said.