Pacers forward Georges Niang has been assigned to their D-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, for the first time of his career.
This move comes as a result of the team finally having a clean bill of health 21 games into the regular season.
Niang, the 50th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, has been inactive the last two games and he hasn’t played anything more than spot minutes other than in two games this season. Niang has scored a total of 11 points on 4-of-27 shooting in 13 appearances.
This is a good time to assign him, due to the combination of the Pacers’ (10-11) good health and the Mad Ants’ home-friendly schedule. Their next five games are at home, including games on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday — when Niang will be with the team.
The Mad Ants are off to a 7-1 start, led by head coach Steve Gansey, who was named D-League Coach of the Month for November.