New Boston trade acquisition Georges Niang kept it real in discussing his arrival in town.
New Boston Celtics forward Georges Niang kept it real in unpacking how the Celtics faithful must feel about his arrival to his hometown team this summer. The 6-foot-7 power forward is a native of Lawrence, Massachusetts.
In an effort to save money ahead of what they're anticipating will be a lost season sans injured All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, Boston flipped former starting center Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks for Niang and a second round pick as part of a three-team exchange with the Brooklyn Nets.
During an appearance on former Miami Heat champions Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller's "The OGs" podcast, Niang admitted that represented a significant qualitative drop-off from Porzingis, a 3-and-D center who can score from anywhere and — if he could stay healthy long enough — would have made far more than just one All-Star appearance.
Watch the full episode with Georges Niang NOW❗️https://t.co/6ROOzWb4de
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) July 22, 2025
“You know, I'm a Boston kid. I then get traded for Kristaps Porzingis — which, you know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a s--- if I’m from Boston or not,” Niang said. “You just took our Unicorn and replaced it with a Minivan. Get the f--- outta here.’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny. It’s got scratches on it, man.”
Splitting his 2024-25 season between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks, the 32-year-old averaged a career-best 9.9 points on .461/.406/.793 shooting splits, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per bout.
Porzingis, in just 42 healthy games for the 61-21 Celtics, averaged 19.5 points on .483/.412/.809 shooting splits, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.7 steals a night. That scoring average is the third-best rate on the team, behind just All-Stars Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“You don’t want to be in Boston losing, that’s for sure,” Niang added. “What can I do this summer? Can I come in, in the best shape that I’m in, and also mentor, and kind of teach, and also learn — because they’ve won championships. And kind of dial all that into one, and focus every day on how can I win the day, and then win games.”
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Category: Basketball
