Georges Niang: NBA Combine First Scrimmage Recap

Georges Niang has been doubted and overlooked since he was a high school freshman, surrounded by highly touted players like Nerlens Noel.

(Noel mention- Drink)

Niang was under-recruited out of high school, overlooked early in his Iowa State career, and in the opinion of many, still underrated as a senior. You know - despite being one of the best players in college basketball and all.

Now that the time has come for Niang to begin his professional career, the doubt still lingers. Any guesses as to where he is projected in NBA mock drafts?

(Hint: He's not even on any of them)

Despite all that, the two-time All-American earned an invitation to the NBA Combine, joining 62 other elite college/international NBA hopefuls. Now, the combine can occasionally hurt a player's draft stock. When you have no draft stock to begin with, however, seizing the opportunities provided by the combine can boost the stock of a player like Georges Niang.

And thus far, Niang has not disappointed.

The first NBA Combine took place Thursday afternoon, and featured Georges Niang starting for the Blue team, along with Kay Felder, Nigel Hayes, Cheick Diallo (BOOOO), and Michael Gbinje. While the Blue team lost 91-86 (click here for complete stats), Niang played a whale of a game.

In 19 minutes, Georges led his team in scoring with 20 points, going 8-12 from the floor, 1-2 from three, and 3-3 from the free throw line. Additionally, he tallied 3 boards, 2 assists, and one steal. Looking past the stat sheet, Georges did a little bit of everything, and he did it well.

He played solid defense, pushed the ball in transition, helped run the offense with skip passes and dribble penetration, and displayed his usual array of crafty post moves. In all, it was a big, big day for Niang.

Here's a little reaction from NBA Twitter:

Georges Niang had 20 points in his NBA Combine game today. Steve Prohm, here in Chicago to watch, said "I think Georges was terrific today."

— Mike Hlas (@Hlas) May 12, 2016

Robert Carter Jr. (22 pts 7 rebs), Cheick Diallo (18 pts, 4 rebs), AJ English (22 pts, 4 asts), Georges Niang (20 pts) standouts in 1st game

— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) May 12, 2016

Some standouts from first game of the #NBACombine: Robert Carter, Georges Niang, Kay Felder, Cheick Diallo, Gary Payton II, Joel Bolomboy.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 12, 2016

BONUS: Here's a look at Niang's measurables, if that's something you're into. A highlight here is that Georges tied for 2nd longest hand length (9.25 inches).

We'll be sure to keep you covered on the NBA Combine going forward, as well as the NBA Draft itself.