Niang transformation

Thomasrickj

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Feb 26, 2012
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just looking at him, he may actually be heavier now than he was before. looks like he replaced fat with muscle rather than just losing fat. wonder what the weight comparison would be in those two photos.
No, he's not heavier. If you've read the reports, his weight is down by about 25 pounds.
 

bawbie

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I think a comparison to Millsap, Love or Barkley is flawed because they are all exceptional rebounders where Niang is not.

I think better NBA comparisons are:

- Carl Landry: Listed at 6'9", but not that tall. Plays under the rim with lots of post moves. More of a scrapper than Niang, but doesn't have Niang's outside shot or court vision.

- David West: Also listed at 6'9", but I doubt he's that tall. He'd be Niang's absolute ceiling. Once again, he rebounds better than Niang, but Niang has a better outside shot and is a better passer

- Luke Walton: I think this is Niang's best comp. Same size, listed as a SF, but can't really play that position. Excellent passer, decent outside shot, but not much of a rebounder. Been in the league >10 years, but has only played >20mpg twice.
 

ImJustKCClone

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Hopefully with more shoulder muscle he can body check better

bump-craft.gif

I loved the look cherub cheeks gave after that...like he couldn't have stepped aside just as easily as Georges could.
 

cyfanatic13

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I loved the look cherub cheeks gave after that...like he couldn't have stepped aside just as easily as Georges could.

Idk Niang pretty clearly knows what he's doing the entire time. I love it though
 

ImJustKCClone

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Oh, I'm fairly certain he did. CC was up to his usual grabby tricks. I'm just noting that he should have enough peripheral vision to see that they were going to collide, and could have altered course just as easily as Georges. Yet he does his best to sell it. I'm glad the officials ignored it. Pint-sized guards like Craft and the never ending stream at Okie State make me crazy; they get away with so much manhandling...
 

Gunnerclone

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I think a comparison to Millsap, Love or Barkley is flawed because they are all exceptional rebounders where Niang is not.

I think better NBA comparisons are:

- Carl Landry: Listed at 6'9", but not that tall. Plays under the rim with lots of post moves. More of a scrapper than Niang, but doesn't have Niang's outside shot or court vision.

- David West: Also listed at 6'9", but I doubt he's that tall. He'd be Niang's absolute ceiling. Once again, he rebounds better than Niang, but Niang has a better outside shot and is a better passer

- Luke Walton: I think this is Niang's best comp. Same size, listed as a SF, but can't really play that position. Excellent passer, decent outside shot, but not much of a rebounder. Been in the league >10 years, but has only played >20mpg twice.

I thought of West but my view is warped by the last 5 years or so where he only plays the "NBA game" on offense with low block and free throw line iso's.

Didn't think of Walton, good call on that.
 

Cydkar

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I think a comparison to Millsap, Love or Barkley is flawed because they are all exceptional rebounders where Niang is not.

I think better NBA comparisons are:

- Carl Landry: Listed at 6'9", but not that tall. Plays under the rim with lots of post moves. More of a scrapper than Niang, but doesn't have Niang's outside shot or court vision.

- David West: Also listed at 6'9", but I doubt he's that tall. He'd be Niang's absolute ceiling. Once again, he rebounds better than Niang, but Niang has a better outside shot and is a better passer

- Luke Walton: I think this is Niang's best comp. Same size, listed as a SF, but can't really play that position. Excellent passer, decent outside shot, but not much of a rebounder. Been in the league >10 years, but has only played >20mpg twice.

Walton is a good comp.
 

KcClone01

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Offensively, it's a decent enough comparison. But, even at the NBA level, Kevin Love is a plus defender, and an elite rebounder. Niang, at the college level, is a minus defender and a minus rebounder.

Yeah admittedly, I don't know crap about NBA. but from an offensive skill set, passing, scoring in the paint and outside shooting (at least the way Niang is performing in college) reminded me of Love's highlights. But as with everyone else I don't see "NBA all-star" in Georges' future, (I just don't know that many other NBA players to compare with). I did think the height issue was interesting... I get it nearly everyone lies about their height in the NBA, but to see an elite PF/Center like love actually be closer to 6'-8" than his listed 6'-10".
 

bawbie

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He is not tall or bulky enough for a two. Twos are 6-9 and 6-11 in the NBA and about 240-250 pounds. And they can jump pretty good. 6-7 is a three.

There are plenty of undersized '4's in the NBA, I listed several up thread. Much of the success of an undersized player is getting in the right situation and getting a chance to prove themselves. No one can guarantee that Niang will have a long NBA career, or even get a chance, but other players with similar skill sets and size have.
 

kucyclone

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Watch just one NBA game and you will discover that Kevin Love is a poor defender.

I'm a big NBA fan, and watched many Minnesota games on League Pass. Calling him a poor defender is quite dumb. Have any stats to back that up? He's average at worst, and several defensive metrics say he's even a tick better than that. Defensive rebounding, remember, is a significant factor in defensive efficiency, and Love is elite in that regard.
 

IbSvU

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I'm a big NBA fan, and watched many Minnesota games on League Pass. Calling him a poor defender is quite dumb. Have any stats to back that up? He's average at worst, and several defensive metrics say he's even a tick better than that. Defensive rebounding, remember, is a significant factor in defensive efficiency, and Love is elite in that regard.

Of course you're a Minnesota fan
 

IbSvU

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Not a Minnesota fan, an NBA fan.

He's a great rebounder, I'll give you that, but he's a porous defender.

Anyways, I'm excited to watch Niang play this year. Should be very interesting with all the weight loss