With no active players left in the playoffs - get well, Dooley - the rest of the summer on this thread is probably going to be about who ends up where for next season. Nader and Niang will both be free agents and I think that the Jazz hold an option for Matt Thomas (and there's a good chance, they'll decline). THT is a restricted free agent and there will be plenty of teams willing to pay good money but the Lakers will look long and hard at matching any offers for him, I'm sure. Only Tyrese and Monte look secure in their contract situations for next year at this point (the Nuggets may deal a guard or two; hopefully, it's not Monte).
The Jazz' meltdown against the Kawhi-less Clippers was tough to watch and I've seen a good argument that it came down to LA's versatility vs. more of the same from the Jazz -- shooters that can't shut down their opponents on defense. I posited on this thread that Georges may have hurt himself in free agency with his poor play vs. the Clippers and I'm not alone in wondering. It turns out that I wasn't alone in wondering that ...
Sara Todd of the Deseret News:
I have great respect for Georges Niang and Miye Oni and the growth that we’ve seen from them over the course of this season, but they weren’t ready to contribute in meaningful ways against the Clippers.
Link:
https://www.deseret.com/2021/6/19/2...ng-to-an-end-nba-playoffs-analysis-season-end
From Andy Larsen's wrap-up of the last game of the Clippers series (SLC Trib):
Georges Niang probably doesn’t make any sense at all to bring back.
Link:
https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/06/19/triple-team-jazzs-fatal/
From fan site SLC Dunk:
Illasova, forest, Brantley, Niang, are free agents and will not be brought back.
Link:
https://www.slcdunk.com/2021/6/19/22541861/time-to-reshape-the-jazz
And this depressing write-up from Hoops Hype on how his play has impacted his free agency value:
Stock down: Georges Niang (Utah)
Before we get into the bad, let’s start with the good: by all accounts,
as we wrote earlier this season, Utah’s
Georges Niang was one of the most improved defensive players in the league during the regular season.
But that version of Niang is not the same one we are seeing against the L.A. Clippers during the second round of the playoffs. He hasn’t recorded a steal in the postseason and he is fouling too often, committing violations on 6.8 percent of his team possessions. That currently ranks as the worst among all non-big men in the league since the playoffs began,
per Cleaning the Glass.
His offensive woes are even worse, however, as he hasn’t made a shot in any of his last three games. In fact, during the series against the Clippers, he is a dreadful 1-for-10 from the field. He has also recorded four costly turnovers, including two back-to-back in Game 3. Among all who have logged at least 40 minutes in the postseason, Niang has lost the ball out of bounds (
1.28 per 100 possessions) more often than everyone except
Andre Drummond.
Most concerning: During the entirety of the playoffs, he is just 1-for-8 from the field on shots that are not three-pointers. Let that sink in: over the course of nine postseason games and with more than 100 minutes of action recorded, Niang has made just one layup and nothing else within 24 feet of the basket.
It is safe to assume that when it comes to his unrestricted free agency, the recent play will likely hinder Niang.
Link:
https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-playoffs-free-agency-offseason-projections-predictions/
Let's hope that this is just a blip for Georges. He contributed in the playoffs this year and was a terrific rotation piece all year for the Jazz. Monte struggled 2 seasons ago in the playoffs and bounced back to see more consistent days, for example.
www.sltrib.com
