Boston’s decision to reduce payroll and fall under the second tier of the NBA’s luxury tax hierarchy is the Celtics’ most significant return from Tuesday’s three-team transaction centered on Kristaps Porzingis.
However, Boston also acquired two assets in the transaction, receiving a second-round selection in exchange for Porzinigis and forward Georges Niang.
Niang, 32, may prove to be a valuable bench component for the Celtics in 2025–2026 despite lacking the distinctive skill set that made Porzingis such a sought-after commodity in Boston.
Four facts about Niang are as follows:
He s a productive bench piece
When healthy, Porzingis’ length (7-foot-2), post game, rim protection, and 3-point shooting skills made the Celtics a nightmare opponent in almost every aspect of the game.
When Porzingis was locked in, he could influence a game in a far greater number of ways than Niang could. However, in 2025–2026, the veteran might be a reliable addition to Joe Mazzulla’s bench.
Niang, who will soon start his tenth NBA season, played with the Cavaliers during the 2024–25 season before being transferred to the Hawks in exchange for De Andre Hunter.
During the previous season, Niang averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 79 games (three starts) between the two teams.
Jayson Tatum is probably going to miss the majority of the 2024–25 season, if not all of it. Niang and another trade acquisition, Anfernee Simons, will have to provide energy and offense for a club that will be restructured (and shorthanded) for the upcoming campaign.
Niang s play style should fit in well with Boston
It should not be shocking that a team like the Celtics would add a guy like Niang to their roster, much like Simons did.
Throughout his career, the 6-foot-7 forward has established himself as a proficient 3-point shooter, recording a lifetime 3-point shooting percentage of 39.9.
Niang made 40.6% of his 3-point attempts during the previous season.
With Tatum recovering, the Celtics, who are lacking offensively without their greatest player on the court, may try to make up some of the production overall by adding Niang and Simons, two sharpshooters, to Mazzulla’s team.
Niang hails from Massachusetts
Given that he was born in Lawrence and grew up in Methuen as a Celtics supporter, Niang already has many connections to Boston.
Niang was a force on the New England circuit before moving on to the college game at Iowa State. He played for Boston AAU powerhouse BABC and was a star at the Tilton School.
With 2,372 points, Niang is the school’s all-time top scorer. The Tilton School basketball team has also included NBA stars Terance Mann and Nerlens Noel.
Niang was named the 2012 NEPSAC Class AA Player of the Year after averaging 25.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game during his last year at Tilton.
He had an interesting encounter with Jaylen Brown during the 2023 playoffs
When Niang and his now-Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown faced off during the Boston vs. Philadelphia Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2023, Brown became enraged.
At the beginning of a fast-break action in Boston’s Game 7 victory over Philadelphia, Niang, who was seated on the Sixers bench, stretched out from his seat and seemed to grasp Brown’s leg to slow him down, tripping him up.
Following the play, Brown yelled at the Sixers bench, and after the sequence was reviewed, both Brown and Niang assessed technicals.
Jaylen Brown’s legpic.twitter.com/zRR4MY8toG is being grabbed by Niang.
Brown remarked of Niang after the game, “I think he just thought, Maybe let me just try to grab him to slow him down a little bit.” Niang isn’t a horrible guy, in my opinion. He and I train out together throughout the off-season. I believe he simply became engrossed in the game’s intensity and made a move, to which I replied.
I’m not sure how I should have answered it. However, it most likely would have played on if I had done nothing. When Niang did it, I don’t believe he was thinking. He’s just caught up in the game’s emotion, not a nasty guy, in my opinion.
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Receive all the information you require to begin your day, given directly to your inbox each morning.
