Georges Niang is well aware of how Celtics fans feel about him

CBS News

2 days ago

Georges Niang is a Massachusetts native getting ready to don Green for the Boston Celtics. But the nine-year veteran hasn't exactly received a friendly welcome from Boston fans, and he's well aware of it.
Niang was acquired by the Celtics in this summer's Kristaps Porzingis swap with the Atlanta Hawks. The move was made to shed some salary and help get Boston under the second apron heading into "gap season" that likely won't include superstar Jayson Tatum.
That he was acquired for a fan favorite like Porzingis is only part of the issue Boston fans have with Niang. While he's carved out a pretty solid career as a 3-and-D role player in his five previous stops, Niang is also a bit of a hot head. He's not going to take any nonsense from the opposition, and he occasionally toes the line.
He did just that in a heated playoff game between the Celtics and the 76ers two years ago, when he grabbed Jaylen Brown's ankle from the Philadelphia bench. Boston fans never forget when you try something like that on any player, let alone a star like Brown, and still have a good amount of vitriol for Niang.
Local ties be damned (Niang was born in Lawrence and grew up in Methuen), there's a large faction of the fanbase waiting and hoping for Niang to get traded again this offseason. He's well aware of the less-than-warm welcome he's received from his hometown fanbase, but had a great reaction to it during an appearance on "The OGs" podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller.
"You know how tough Boston fans are," Niang said to Haslem. "They don't give a [expletive] if I'm from Boston or not. They're like, 'You just took our unicorn and replaced him with a minivan. Get the [expletive] out of here.'"
While Porzingis is known as "The Unicorn" thanks to his downtown threat and playmaking abilities as a big man, Niang has earned the less-than-endearing nickname "The Minivan" since it usually takes him some time to get going and build energy in games -- much like a minivan trying to pick up speed.
"I'm like public enemy No. 1," he said. "They're like, 'What the... what is this? This ain't shiny, this got scratches on it!'"
That perspective may earn him a few more fans in Boston. But the best way to win them over is to go out and be Georges Niang in a Celtics uniform. While Niang has been mentioned in trade rumors since landing with his hometown team, he's focused on how he can make an impact on a team in transition. With Tatum likely out for the season, Niang could carve out an extremely important role in Boston.
"Boston has done a really good job when guys have missed games. It's their culture and who they are. So now it's, what can you do to maximize what you have to help them win games? You don't want to be in Boston losing," said Niang.
Niang had a solid 3-and-D role (with a little bit of enforcer added in) with the top-seeded Cavaliers last season before he was sent to the Hawks at the trade deadline. He played well in Atlanta, where Niang averaged 12.1 points per game off 44.1 percent shooting. He won't provide the rim protection Boston lost by sending Porzingis to the Hawks, but the forward can stretch the floor as a 40 percent shooter from downtown.
While Boston fans are still miffed at Niang for his ankle grab two summers ago, it appears he and Brown have squashed any lingering beef.
Both players were courtside at TD Garden last week for the Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever WNBA matchup, and posed for pictures at the game.