Duke Basketball: Blue Devils already dealing with adversity

By Carmine Carcieri | Oct 3, 2016

March 24, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski watches game action against Oregon Ducks during the first half of the semifinal game in the West regional of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

Duke basketball will need Amile Jefferson and Marques Bolden to step up with Harry Giles down.

Duke is in a class of their own as the best team in the country and the 2017 national title favorite.

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Mike Krzyzewski and company are dealing with their first bout of adversity though. Duke’s five-star freshman and potential number one overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Harry Giles, underwent an arthroscopy on his left knee on Monday. He is expected to miss six weeks, which puts his status for opening night on November 11 against Marist in jeopardy.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome of today’s procedure,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. “This is the right step for Harry at the moment as it will help him be 100 percent going forward. Harry has done a tremendous job in rehabilitation over the last year and I’m sure he’ll continue to do the same after this procedure.”

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Giles, a 6’10”, 230 pound forward from Winston-Salem, NC, already suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in his left knee before his sophomore year of high school. He also is still recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee that was suffered in his first high school game of last season with Oak Hill Academy. Giles was expected to be somewhat limited in practice leading up to the first game of the season, but now, he is out altogether with major question marks looming.

Duke is likely to take it slow with the five-star forward, as it is more important for them to have him healthy enough to participate in conference play and of course, the postseason.

But will Giles ever be 100 percent at any point during the 2016-17 season? Will he gain that elite explosiveness? Can he be the player that we all expected (a Wooden Award candidate)?

There is no question the Blue Devils have the depth and size to make up for his loss in the mean time. Amile Jefferson, who is still recovering with his own injury, is back as a fifth year senior, five-star freshman Marques Bolden committed to Duke late in the process, sophomore Chase Jeter is likely to improve in 2016-17, Javin DeLaurier is another intriguing freshman and Luke Kennard and Jayson Tatum could play some small ball four on occasion.

But let’s not discount how big of a loss this is. Giles is expected to be one of Duke’s best players and is certainly the top front court player on the roster. He is ranked number one in ESPN’s top 100 for the class of 2016 and could be the most important player on the roster besides the leading return scorer, Grayson Allen.

Giles has elite athleticism, is explosive in the painted area, is a monster on the glass and can play with the ball in his hands in the high post/mid-range area. He can block shots at the rim and is capable of defending pick-and-rolls because of his athletic traits and wingspan.

If the freshman has difficulty returning and isn’t 100 percent when March rolls around, that opens the door for Duke to potentially lose their chance at their second National Championship in two years.

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While the Blue Devils are still the favorite to win it all, this just shows that Coach K’s squad is anything but unbeatable and they will deal with their fair share of problems.

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