Duke Basketball’s Harry Giles has declared for the NBA Draft, becoming the fourth Blue Devil this week to leave Durham.
Boy, has it been a wild week for Duke Basketball. After being upset by the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Round of 32, the Blue Devils have seen four players with remaining NCAA eligibility elect to leave the program. Chase Jeter and Sean Obi recently announced they will transfer from Duke following this semester, while Jayson Tatum and Giles have elected to go pro following their freshman seasons.
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Counting seniors Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson and Nick Pagliuca, that’s now seven Blue Devils from this season who will not be returning to Durham. And with Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen still deciding whether they’d like to roll the dice by declaring for the draft, that number could soon go up.
Coming out of Oak Hill Academy, Giles was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in America before and after his second ACL tear that caused him to forego his entire senior season. He would then have an arthroscopic surgery before the beginning of his freshman year — which kept him sidelined for much of non-conference play and limited his time on the court.
After an unimpressive college career, in which he averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, and with such serious concerns regarding his knees, it wasn’t clear whether Giles would attempt to go pro after this season.
It seems likely that he could cement his status as a lottery pick that will have an immediate impact on an NBA team if he stayed at Duke for just one more year in order to play a full season free of injury. He was even publicly advised by Greg Oden, who found himself in a predicament similar to Giles’ in 2006, to be patient with the recovery process instead of “push[ing] [him]self to be ready [to play] faster.” Oden was drafted first overall but failed to build the career many thought he would due to incessant knee injuries and procedures.
Giles did show progression throughout the season, though. Against UNC in the ACC Tournament, Giles recorded seven rebounds, six points, and four blocks. He also came up big late in the second half of that game in order to compensate for Jefferson, who wasn’t playing at 100 percent.
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But Giles’ lack of playing time since his junior year of high school remains a shining red flag that will turn Giles into a gamble for NBA teams. Will he become the dominant big man many pegged him as during his youth, or will his eagerness to succeed land him on the list of biggest busts in the history of the NBA?