The Indiana Pacers waived Georges Niang, the Indiana Pacers second-round pick in the 2016 draft. He appeared in 23 games and averaged under a point and rebound a game.
The Indiana Pacers waived Georges Niang on Friday, clearing up a roster spot for another move that is expected shortly. The move also saves Indiana roughly $1.4 million in cap space, but they still take a $100,000 hit this season.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Niang was headed into his second season with Indiana after they drafted him in the second round of the 2016 draft. Things were looking good for Niang during last year’s Orlando Summer League, but he had few chances to impress in the regular season.
Thank you Indiana my time with the pacers organization was special Thankful to have been apart of a special year thank you for the memories
— Georges Niang (@GeorgesNiang20) July 14, 2017
Niang never saw the court outside of garbage time — usually seeing fewer than five minutes — in the 23 games he appeared in.
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Niang hoped to hold his spot on the roster with his basketball IQ, but rarely got the chance to do so. In the 93 minutes of game time that he did see with the Pacers, 19.4% of his shots were blocked. Niang was never expected to succeed with his physical skills, but that’s a startlingly high percentage.
Niang also spent six games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants where he averaged 19 points on 44.8% shooting.
Niang’s last chance came this month with the Pacers in the Orlando Summer League, but unfortunately, a knee injury stole that opportunity from him.
For better or worse, his time with the team might be best remembered for his love of PB&J, as well as the time honored Pacers rookie tradition of fetching donuts.
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As mentioned earlier, Niang was waived to create a roster spot for another player, but as of the time of this post, there aren’t any particular rumors on what that move will be. The Pacers have enough frontcourt players, but the wings and the backcourt could use reinforcement.