Harry Giles: Kings training camp profile

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The Sacramento Kings took a gamble when they selected Harry Giles III with the 20th overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft. After redshirting the former No. 1 rated prospect last season, it’s time to test the knees of the 20-year-old power forward. 

Giles looked solid with limited talent around him during the California Classic and in Las Vegas for Summer League. He’s a high energy player that barks and sometimes bites. It’s the type of player the Kings have needed for a long time, although all expectations should be qualified with the fact that Giles has played very few minutes in the last three years.

Strengths

Giles has the all the physical tools you are looking for in an elite big man. At 6-foot-10, 250-pounds, the former Duke Blue Devil can play both the four and the five. In January, the Kings took Giles to P3 in Southern California for testing and his agility scores ranked with elite small forwards.

While he hasn’t seen court time at the NBA level, behind the scenes both the coaching staff and his teammates have raved about Giles’ passing skills. He has incredible court vision and he’s a very willing passer. Sacramento could really use a quality high-post passer and in limited action, Giles has shown an ability to draw a crowd in the lane and find the open man.

His passing skills have drawn comparisons to former Kings great, Chris Webber, but so have his hands. Giles has huge mitts, which he uses to attack the glass on both ends of the floor. He projects as an elite rebounder, which happens to help one of the team’s biggest weaknesses.

In summer league, Giles stood out on the defensive side of the ball. He directed traffic and demanded accountability from his teammates. It’s early, but his intensity and defensive IQ has drawn comparisons to the Warriors Draymond Green.  

Weaknesses


Giles needs to find a way to stay healthy. He’s put in the work with the Kings’ strength and conditioning staff to build his legs strength. Giles also focused on his core to help support a tremendous frame. After suffering ACL tears in both knees as a prep athlete, the fear will always be there, but he’s put in the work to come back healthy.

As a scorer, Giles is a work in progress. He shoots from the left side of his face, but he takes a direct path to get there, unlike the Lakers’ Lonzo Ball, who loops the ball all the way from the right to left. He has range all the way to the 3-point line, but he’ll likely stay inside the arc in his rookie season in the league.

On the defensive side of the ball, Giles is a beast. He also plays with a fire and energy that sometimes gets him in trouble. There’s a good chance he’ll struggle with foul trouble early in his career as he adjusts to quality of talent in the NBA game. He also runs hot, which might get him in some trouble with officials.

Path to Improvement


Giles tore the ACL in his left knee in 2013 and then did the same thing to his right knee in 2015 in his first game of his senior year in high school. He underwent a cleanout procedure before stepping on the floor at Duke, which is customary in bilateral knee injury recovery. The surgery at Duke limited him to just 300 minutes of action for coach Mike Krzyzewski.

If ever there was an NBA unknown, it’s Giles. He was the star of Team USA basketball as a prep. He was a star when he played at the highschool level. The reality is that he’s played 300 minutes in three years.

The path for improvement starts and ends with being able to play. Anything and everything after that is gravy in year one. It should be noted that Kenyon Martin, Danny Manning and Amar’e Stoudemire all played 14 seasons or more with similar injuries. The group combined for nine All-Star appearances and technology and medical advancements have improved since their time in the league.

Projection


Giles is going to play. Where he fits in is still a question mark. With his natural size and strength, he can play either frontline position. If he can remain healthy, there is a chance that he and rookie Marvin Bagley III will see major time together this season.

There is a good chance that Bagley and Willie Cauley-Stein start the season ahead of Giles in the rotation, but counting him out is a mistake. While he didn’t see a second of NBA action last season, Giles practiced with the team all year and he knows the terminology and playbook. 

A conservative prediction has Giles posting 9-10 points, 7-8 rebounds and two-plus assists in 24 minutes per game as a rookie. Those numbers could jump considerably if he earns a starting spot coming out of training camp. 

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