Am I the only one around here who thinks Georges gets called for some B.S fouls? I don't think his defense is THAT far off.
How does Niang compare to other top ISU freshmen?
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I love the way that Niang and Clyburn move well without the ball, grab passes when open, get the ball to open guys, maintain excellent body control, and have a fantastic sense of how to get to the basket with the ball.
They make each other better when they are both on the court.
They make each other better when they are both on the court.
The comparison I think of for Niang is Draymond Green. Except Niang as a freshman is better than Green as a So. and just a bit behind Green as a Jr. Niang is probably taller and has a better upside on athleticism than Green. Green didn't really shoot the 3 ball until his Jr year, but did average 3 apg as a So.
The Chandler Parsons comp is interesting, but as freshman they are very different players, Parsons being more of a 3pt specialist.
Did you know that Georges has a 1.5 Assist - TO ratio? That's VERY impressive for a freshman big.
The Chandler Parsons comp is interesting, but as freshman they are very different players, Parsons being more of a 3pt specialist.
Did you know that Georges has a 1.5 Assist - TO ratio? That's VERY impressive for a freshman big.
Niang looks the least like a freshman in comparison to a lot of the more recent freshmen mentioned, IMO. There's something about his presence on the floor that makes me think he's going to be one of the best to come out of ISU in a long time.
I like that comparison. Both play with high basketball IQ's (over-used, cliche, I know).... and neither are spectacular athletes.
But they just seem to get it done and are great leaders/competitors. If Niang played in the MVC, he might put up similar numbers to Doug and would possibly garner the same amount of attention.
Niang isn't the most physically talented but has an extremely high basketball IQ. He can go outside and go inside and has that Larry Bird quality of knowing instantly how to attack his opponents weakness and make them look ridiculous. The announcer for the KU game was calling it "old man" moves. Georges also reminds me of some of the moves Kevin McHale had down low. (I experienced a few of those from Kevin. Not fun)
I think this is a good and fun discussion...so I mined for some data on freshmen seasons of years past and put this together:
Niang vs Cyclone Freshman of Yesteryear |
Niang vs Cyclone Freshman of Yesteryear |
George is one of the better Freshman I've seen in a while play for ISU. He's really crafty down low. Wish he had a little more juice and would dunk it more. His defense is a weak point, but that's not unusual for a young player.
If he works on his D and we get another big man or two to take pressure off of him, he could be something special.
Grayer is probably the best I've seen. He was leader early on and really really strong.
If he works on his D and we get another big man or two to take pressure off of him, he could be something special.
Grayer is probably the best I've seen. He was leader early on and really really strong.
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gotta have Stinson on that list. guy was an incredible player that was almost as good as a freshman as he was a junior. arguably the best freshman season in ISU history (and in my opinion it's not even an argument). he is under appreciated because he has Wayne Morgan attached to his name.
