There's a Cavaliers prospect making noise in 2025 EuroBasket
He may not be playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers anytime soon, but Saliou Niang has made waves for the Italian national team during this summer's 2025 FIBA EuroBasket competition.
Through four games of group play, including one exhibition matchup, the wine and gold's 58th overall pick is averaging 9.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in just over 16 minutes per contest. He is shooting 70% from the field on his 20 attempts.
Most recently, on Tuesday, Niang registered a double-double to help lead Italy to a huge 67-63 win over Spain. He also recorded a pair of blocks in addition to his 10 points and 10 boards in only 15 minutes of action.
Unfortunately, he sustained a right ankle injury during the game and couldn't play out the rest of the game.
It is notable that Niang is making this much noise in such a highly competitive environment. For one, he is only 21 years old. On top of that, he is coming off the bench and impacting the game just as much as the starting five on each end of the floor.
Hopefully, if and when his ankle heals in tournament play, we'll be able to see what else is in store for Niang against top-of-the-line teams in EuroBasket.
In three games at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Niang showed flashes of his athleticism and defensive prowess for the Cavs, producing 7.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
He still has plenty of room to develop with his ball-handling and outside jump shot, as he turned it over five times in his debut and went 1-for-5 from deep overall.
Though it will likely be years before Niang comes over to the States to suit up in an NBA uniform, the Senegalese-Italian prospect has pro-ready length with his 6-foot-10 wingspan. His ability to slash and leap will only help his case, too.
What we do know is that Niang will be playing for Virtus Bologna of the EuroLeague in the 2025-26 season. Both parties confirmed the news in mid-July following Cavs general manager Mike Gansey's announcement the day after the 2025 NBA Draft.