Once one of the highly touted prospects outside the NBA, injury and inconsistency have forced Harry Giles’ NBA draft stock to fall. What can he bring to the pro game?
Who Is Harry Giles?
Just over 12 months on from being ranked as the top college prospect from the 2016 recruiting class by ESPN, and as the RSCI’s second best player from that class, Harry Giles prepares to enter the NBA Draft with his future looking much more uncertain.
Giles declared for the NBA Draft following Duke’s elimination from the tournament, but what once seemed like a guarantee became a decision that many around college basketball started to question.
Not only has Giles suffered further difficulties with his knees — injuries have plagued him for a number of years, even forcing him to miss his senior season in high school — but he has struggled when healthy enough to take to the court too.
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In 26 games played this year, Giles averaged just under four points and four rebounds in 11.5 minutes of action per game. As a result, where the questions surrounding Giles feel very tangible, projecting his strength remains wholly more speculative.
Yet to turn 19, Giles possesses phenomenal size and athletic potential if his body can hold up, but the debate over whether time is on his side or already winding down is one that’s going to require strong instincts and a willingness to gamble for NBA front offices.
Let’s dive a little deeper into Giles’ game to identify his strengths, weaknesses, and more.
Next: Strengths
Strengths
Giles is a physical specimen with the kind of freak size and athleticism that doesn’t come along very often.
At 6’11” tall with a 7’3″ wingspan and 9’1″ standing reach, Giles has many of the physical hallmarks that teams have long looked for in big men, yet he also possesses a fluidity and ease of movement that make him an intriguing mix of modern and old school frontcourt fundamentals.
Weighing in at 222lbs, Giles is already no slouch but still possesses room to fill out into a frame that looks built for power.
Through clips of his high school days and glimpses of potential in an otherwise disappointing season at Duke, Giles has showcased a tenacious nose for rebounds and solid defensive fundamentals.
The 19-year-old knows how to put a body on an opponent, and shows no hesitation in defending opponents of any size one-on-one, but looking particularly impressive for a man of his stature when drawn away from the basket on smaller, quicker opponents.
On the offensive end, Giles lacks any real semblance of a reliable jump shot, but demonstrates some intriguing touch working out of the post. At his most dangerous, Giles would be used as a constant rim-running threat who would cause matchup nightmares in the open court. Giles has always excelled when playing above the rim, but the question now is whether his body will allow that style to sustain.
Next: Weaknesses
Weaknesses
There are plenty of technical limitations to Giles’ game, but it’s difficult to place too much emphasis on them. Very simply, if Giles can’t find a way to stay on the court in the coming years, some of the other flaws in his game will quickly be rendered meaningless.
Giles is in a unique spot of having already gone through a prospect’s boom to bust cycle before even reaching the NBA.
As Matt Norlander of CBS Sports explained in a piece a few months back, what makes it even stranger in some ways is the way in which Giles is chasing the ghost of himself as much as the legacy of any other great who has previously played the game.
"“The tale of Giles has quickly developed a mythical aura. Though he’s still just 18, people already talk about who he once was, as if that person and player no longer exists. But maybe that’s true. For many, he was one of the most seamlessly dominant prospects to come along in a decade. He was the top-ranked recruit who looked to be the next coming of Chris Webber, a dominant athlete with the proportional skill and acumen of a young Kevin Garnett. Whereas he used to be compared to NBA greats, now he’s compared to a younger, better version of himself.”"
In 2013, Giles tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee. In 2015, Giles then tore the ACL in his right knee. Giles’ impact at Duke has been limited as he was forced to undergo a scope to remove cartilage from his right knee last summer.
This leaves Giles as a potentially franchise changing talent, but one whose greatest gifts are physical and yet is relying on two surgically repaired knees before even entering the pro game.
The fear of recurrence in either or both knees will instantly be enough to put some teams off, but there’s more to it than that. Giles will always be plagued by concerns over how his athleticism will age due to his injury history, while something as simple as putting on weight and bulk to compete with NBA bigs will even force further consideration due to the potential strain that could place on his body.
Giles has room to grow into a much more polished player on both ends, but before any team can worry about that they’ll need to be convinced by the ability of his body to hold up.
Next: What the Experts Say
What The Experts Say
(as of 4/4/17)
Draft Express (Jonathan Givony): 24th
ESPN (Chad Ford): 14th
CBS (Howard Megdal): 32nd
Sporting News (Sam Vecenie): 19th
The Step Back (Trevor Magnotti): 25th
Quotes:
Daniel O’Brien of FanRag Sports believes there’s still a path to Giles realizing his NBA potential — even as a lesser version of himself — but he’d need the right guidance in order to deliver.
"“With the right coaching and durable knees, Giles might be a solid combo-big defender at his peak. He could guard both 4’s and 5’s, switch onto guards in pick-and-rolls and also spend time checking wings. For now, he’s still a sizable question mark on defense and needs significant grooming.”"
Chad Ford of ESPN has little doubt over Giles’ talent, but has concerns over whether the severity and regularity of his previous injuries will prove to be too much for most NBA teams to stomach.
"“Based on sheer talent, Giles is one of the two or three best prospects in the draft. But his injury history is daunting. If his knees check out at the combine, NBA scouts believe he’ll likely go in the late lottery. If there are bigger or long-term injury concerns, he could slide into the late first round.”"
Next: Fit With The Bucks
Fit With The Bucks
A healthy version of Harry Giles would be a fascinating fit for the Bucks, but considering Jabari Parker’s currently recovering from a second ACL tear of his own, it would be understandable if any prospect with injury red flags gave Milwaukee major pause for thought.
On the other hand, with the Bucks likely to pick close to the 20th overall pick this year, many of their more obvious targets may well be off the board at that juncture. If ever there was a team prepared to take a gamble on Giles, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if it turned out to be the team who picked Thon Maker 10th overall last year, or Giannis Antetokounmpo 15th in 2013.
Even if relatively healthy, Giles may never amount to more than a backup big for the Bucks, but the idea of what a front court trio of Antetokounmpo, Giles and Maker could do defensively in the long term is certainly a fun hypothetical.
Having been hyped up to be a superstar for years, Giles has had to deal with disappointment and a shift in the narrative recently. That will make the organization he lands with all the more important. A team with a good development culture, and existing stars would immediately relieve Giles of some pressure, and from there perhaps he gets a chance to flourish.
Giles’ coach at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski, remains bullish about the North Carolina native’s pro prospects. Coach K even told Hank Tucker of the Duke Chronicle that he believes there’s so much more to come from Giles because injuries have slowed his development process down.
"“Harry is coming off of some really bad injuries. He’s still—you know, a year from now [he] will probably get it. He’s put it all out there. When our guys have seen that, it’s been a lift. It’s been a huge lift for us.”"
Particularly important in gauging the risk of drafting a player with an injury history is their attitude. The Bucks have already seen Jabari Parker come back from injury and he remains as committed as ever to fully recover a second time, because of his positivity and determination. Krzyzewski indicates that Giles has a similar makeup, and spoke of a conversation he had with Giles spurring a resurgence in his play late in the season.
"“You’re the most enthusiastic kid I’ve ever been around, and you’re not bringing your enthusiasm,” Coach K said. “That was never hurt. But I think you’re not using it. Just be enthusiastic and see what happens, and I think he’s done that. Instead of being methodical and trying to think about everything, he’s been more athletic.”"
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In terms of personality and work ethic, Giles would be a great fit for any of the NBA’s 30 teams. The question is now centered on which team is going to choose to take the gamble on his health come draft night. If Giles falls into the mid to late first round as expected, he might just be a risk worth taking for some team who wouldn’t need him to be a focal point.