Miami Heat: 3 wings to target in free agency this offseason
By Jack Simone
Miami Heat option #2: Georges Niang
This name might not seem super flashy, but it would be the perfect fit. Georges Niang could be one of the best options to help fill out Miami’s bench.
Niang is an elite shooter and reliable defender who spent the last four years with the Jazz. Though he doesn’t average a ton of points, he plays a crucial role in their game plan.
The Jazz emphasize two things in their system – defense and three-point shooting. Niang is extremely solid in both categories.
He averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds last season in 16.0 minutes per game. The most impressive stats, however, is that he shot 42.5% from deep on 4.1 attempts.
In addition, Niang is a great overall defender. At 6’7” he can hang on the perimeter while also being able to hold his ground down low.
On the team that finished as a top five defense, Niang had the third-best defensive rating (100.3). Though it came in significantly less minutes, he ended the season with a better DRTG than Rody Gobert (100.9).
Niang is also extremely durable. He played in all 83 games the Jazz played this past year, including the postseason.
The Miami Heat could realistically sign him for somewhere around $5-$7 million. However, if the Jazz want to keep him around bad enough, they could pay extra and extend that number out to $8-$10 million.