Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — On July 14, 2017, the Indiana Pacers waived Georges Niang, their second-round draft pick from the previous season.
On July 14, 2018, Niang will have a much better day.
The Utah Jazz agreed to sign the Iowa State forward to a long-term contract on Friday, a deal first reported by Yahoo. Niang's deal is for three years, though is not fully guaranteed.
The No. 50 pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, Niang played nine games in a Jazz uniform in the 2017-18 season playing during garbage time, but played a large role in the Salt Lake City Stars' turnaround. The Stars won 11 of the 15 games Niang played in and lost 30 of their other 35 contests where he wasn't part of the team.
Niang is a skilled forward who draws comparisons to late-career Boris Diaw thanks to his ability to pass well from multiple spots on the floor. In the NBA, Niang will play more of a floor-spacing role.
"The difference is his role will be much more defined in the NBA. But I think there's a role for him," Jazz summer league coach Alex Jensen said on Sunday. "He'll be a floor spacer, and he's a good passer ... It will be a little bit more difficult off the dribble." Niang shot 46 percent from 3-point range in the G-League in nearly 5 attempts per game.
More coverage coming on KSL.com throughout the evening.
Lunch on you, @GeorgesNiang20 😏 😏 😏 pic.twitter.com/0mvXYKTiC9
— KSL SportsBeat (@kslsports) July 14, 2018
