Cavs wing Georges Niang has high praise for new head coach Kenny Atkinson in an interview with ‘Locked on Cavs’. Niang mentioned that Atkinson’s dialogue with all the players impressed him the most.
“It’s been impressive, but I think it’s exciting ’cause people feel the energy and the work that he’s going to put in to figure out ways to get creative to get the best out of us individually, but more importantly, get the best out of us as a team.”
Georges Niang Impressed By New Head Coach
As a rotation player, Niang says
“For the most part, usually coaches come and talk to their star players, and that’s kind of it. So, Kenny’s done a great job of having a dialogue with everyone and what he expects out of everyone, what he expects when you come into the building, and the goals that we set forth and have for this year.”
Niang is entering his second season with Cleveland following an up-and-down first year. The former Philadelphia 76er averaged a career-high 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 37.6% from behind the arc. Under former coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Niang also played 22.3 minutes a night, the second-highest mark of his career. However, Niang fell to the bottom of the pecking order in the playoffs as he shot just 13% from three and played just 12 minutes a game.
Though Niang struggled in the playoffs, he was not alone. As a team, the Cavs shot just 31.5% from three leading to their demise in the playoffs. As long as Niang can play at his regular season form he will be of paramount importance to Atkinson’s bench this season.
Atkinson’s Impact
Atkinson is known for getting the best out of his volume shooter wings. Joe Harris with the Nets endured the best years of his 10-year NBA career with Atkinson at the helm. Harris shot 47.4% in 2018-19, where he led the league.
The Cavs struggled offensively as a whole under Bickerstaff. Though the now Detroit Pistons head coach went 170-159 during his five seasons in Cleveland, he was more of a defensive mind. Atkinson is polar opposite to Bickerstaff in that way. In 2016-17, the Nets led the league in pace at 101.3. For comparison, in 2022-23, the Cavs ranked dead last in pace with a mark of 95.7.
Now, Atkinson has not been a head coach since the Nets relieved him of his duties in 2020. There are not many ideas of how his offense will look five-plus years later and with another team. However, Atkinson spent the last four years with the Golden State Warriors and Steve Kerr. In two of the four seasons Atkinson spent in the Bay Area, the Warriors ranked in the top three of pace. The Cavs are going to play fast or at least faster than before.
The differences between the two coaches’ styles will lead to new opportunities for this Cavs roster. This roster is already extremely deep with defensive talent, it now just needs an influx on the other end of the court. Niang is just another player who will benefit from the free-flowing offense coming soon to Cleveland.
