The Indiana Pacers announced today they have assigned former Cyclone Georges Niang to their Development League Affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
The Pacers drafted Niang with the 50th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Niang has appeared in 13 games for the Pacers so far in his rookie season, averaging 0.8 points and 1.0 rebounds per contest
Niang remains under contract with the Pacers and this move is not a big surprise. Players under contract with teams in their first three years in the NBA can go back and forth between rosters an unlimited amount of times. This is not like Major League Baseball where players are limited in the amount of roster call-ups. Last year alone, 25 different players were assigned to D-League clubs form NBA rosters.
This move allows Niang to get extended playing time against D-League competition and helps his development much more so than sitting on the bench and getting a handful of minutes a week. Look for Niang to spend a week or two with the Mad Ants and be recalled back to the Pacers soon. Chances are he will get used to being shuttled between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.
Interestingly enough during this Cy-Hawk week, Niang will play alongside former Hawkeye nemesis Adam Woodbury.
