The Cleveland Cavaliers had two second-round picks this past draft. They selected Tyrese Proctor with the 48th pick and gave him a roster spot and standard contract for this upcoming season. Cleveland then chose Saliou Niang ten slots later at 58.
The 21-year-old isn’t ready for the NBA yet and will continue playing in Europe for the time being. That includes doing so for the Italian national team in FIBA EuroBasket.
Italy has done well so far. They have advanced to the Round of 16 due to a 67-63 win
on Tuesday over Spain. Niang’s contributions went a long way in securing the victory.
The 6’8” wing displayed the skills that impressed the Cavs in the pre-draft process in the win against Spain. He was a force on the defensive end as he picked up two blocks and six defensive rebounds. He also made the most of his athleticism on the offensive end by grabbing four offensive boards and going 5-6 inside the three-point arc for 10 points in just over 15 minutes.
Niang’s athleticism jumps off the screen in the highlight from Tuesday’s game.
Niang left the game with an ankle injury, which kept him out of the close of Tuesday’s victory.
Overall, this has been a good tournament for Niang. He scored 15 points on 4-6 shooting in a win over Georgia. Below are his highlights from that game.
Niang also compiled 11 points on 5-7 shooting with four rebounds in a loss to Greece. Niang is averaging 9.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on 70% shooting from the floor. This includes going 11-15 (73%) on twos.
The NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement is designed to create more parity. Good teams aren’t able to easily keep all of their core and supporting players together. The Cavs will be feeling the weight of that in the coming years and have done so already as they chose not to retain Ty Jerome in free agency.
One way to remain good is to hit on late second-round picks and moves on the periphery of the roster. The Cavs have a chance of doing so with Niang. He has great size and athleticism. The question is whether that can translate to the NBA.
It’s difficult not to be impressed with what Niang has done so far in EuroBasket. We’ll see if he’s able to keep it after Tuesday’s ankle injury.
