Sixers’ Georges Niang relishing opportunity to take on tough defensive matchups: ‘I’m not going to lay down’

Georges Niang knows what the prevailing thoughts are when he’s lining up and guarding opponents.

“People try to knock me, and not give me credit because I don’t look like someone that can defend,” the 76ers reserve forward said, “or I look like someone you should go at.”

But he competes.

And the Sixers (30-16) benefited from Niang’s competitive spirit during their recent five-game road trip.

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Last Monday, Niang was credited with blocking Russell Westbrook’s shot with 3.1 seconds left to preserve a 113-112 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Two nights later, he was a plus-18 in 18 minutes, 32 seconds against the Los Angeles Clippers. And he concluded the trip with a plus-21 effort in 27 minutes against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night at the Golden 1 Center.

“I’m not going to lay down because someone says I’m not as good as a defender or a good defender,” Niang said. “I believe if I’m out there on the court, I’m going to make it tough on anybody that I have to guard.

“That’s kind of the narrative that I’m trying to spin the other way.”

The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Niang has come a long way since being a minus-93 in 59 appearances as a member of the Utah Jazz during the 2018-19 season. He was a plus-67 in 76 games with the Sixers last season. Through 44 games this season, he’s a plus-129.

He has had three games this season with two steals, and he blocked two shots against the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 12. He had two steals against the Phoenix Suns (Nov. 7), the Golden State Warriors (Dec. 16), and the Detroit Pistons (Dec. 21).

Niang is averaging a career-high 9.3 points and is on pace to shatter his personal single-season records for steals and blocks. He set career highs for steals (30) and blocks (13) last season. So far, he has 16 steals and 10 blocks with 36 games remaining.

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No one will confuse Niang for a lockdown defender.

There are still times when he’s overmatched, and opponents will still attack him. However, his defensive effort and attention to detail are noticeable. It quickly becomes obvious that he’s working hard to improve what has been a glaring weakness throughout his career.

“I know people are going to try to go at me,” Niang said. “But at the end of the day, I’m confident in myself and my ability to make guys take tough shots and be able to hinder guys from getting to their spots where they feel comfortable.”