2016 NBA Draft: Georges Niang, Abdel Nader one step closer to their dream

Thursday night’s NBA Draft was filled with surprises, not the least of which was two Cyclones drafted in the second round.

The second round of the 2016 NBA Draft saw Cyclone All-American Georges Niang and wingman Abdel Nader get selected by the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics respectively.

I did not have Niang going to Indy at 50, but this is an intriguing fit in GM Larry Bird’s changing system. The Pacers recently acquired Atlanta guard Jeff Teague with the idea of moving toward a more fluid, uptempo offense.

Forward is one of the Pacers’ big holes this offseason behind star Paul George, burgeoning Myles Turner, and potential free agent Ian Mahinmi. Niang isn’t a great defender as I highlighted earlier this month, but he has a tremendous amount of offensive versatility that could get him a rotation spot behind Turner.

He’ll have the opportunity to really demonstrate what he can do with a team that is moving towards a free-flowing offense seen in places like Golden State.

Even with defensive issues, Niang was still one of the most talented offensive players in the country, and his ability to both handle the ball and hit shots from all over is what will get him a look in Indy.

He likely won’t get too much faster on defense, but a steady career in the mold of Spurs forward Boris Diaw isn’t out of the question.

If Niang was a mild surprise, if only based on where he went, then Nader’s selection at 58 was a complete moon-shot of a shocker.

I love him and got to watch his development over two years at Iowa State, but almost nobody had him among the top 100 players available. If there is something in his favor, however, it’s that he is a 6’6″, 230 pound wing who can drive, defend, and hit 37 percent from three point range.

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It’s a good thing that Nader immediately agreed to spend his first season with Boston’s D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. Maine is among the best teams in terms of development and was home to former Cyclone Chris Babb at one point.

Nader will have a solid opportunity to compete with the Red Claws while Boston figures out their bloated roster, which technically stands at 21 players, with six draft picks coming aboard.

The best case scenario for Nader is he sits for a year and gets a legitimate shot at the shooting guard/small forward position behind R.J. Hunter, Evan Turner, and James Young.

The Celtics have to jettison wing talent at some point, so I think that the former Cyclone could make the roster eventually if he doesn’t go to Europe or have his rights traded first.

Overall, it was a fantastic victory for the Cyclones and their fan base. Having two guys (one who wasn’t expected) is a big boost for recruiting pitches and marketing.

It might take a couple years, but both Niang and Nader are in situations where they won’t be asked to do tons right away. This will allow them to hit the gym hard and work on the holes in their game.

Next: Four takeaways from the NBA draft

It won’t be easy, but don’t be shocked if either one of those guys managed to stick in the Association at some point with their respective work ethics.

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