Miami Heat: 3 free agents Miami should have targeted in 2021
By Jack Simone
Players the Miami Heat should have targeted: Georges Niang
Georges Niang played for the Utah Jazz last season, but decided to join the Philadelphia 76ers this summer. He played a huge role for the Jazz last season as they finished as one of the best defenses and one of the best offenses.
He’s a 6-7 forward who can compete on both ends of the floor. He would have fit right in with Miami’s current wing rotation, which honestly, doesn’t have a ton of depth.
Last season, Niang averaged 6.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. He shot 43.7% from the field and 42.5% from three-point range.
Niang averaged 4.1 three-point attempts per game last season in only 16.0 minutes of action. Translated to per-36 minutes stats, he would have ranked top three on the Heat last year.
Having this sort of production from deep would have been a great help to the Miami Heat. They were one of the worst teams in the league last year in terms of three-point percentage.
The 28-year-old forward signed a two-year deal with the 76ers which is worth just under $3.4 million per year. For his production on both ends of the floor, that’s a steal of a contract.
The Miami Heat could have easily made something like that work. They may have had to change some things about their offseason, but having Niang for extra wing depth would have been worth it.