Player Profile:
“After two major knee injuries and further surgery before the season at Duke, Giles — the former top prospect in this class — has fallen almost across the board.
While he still possesses incredible upside — thus the mention here — whether or not Giles is capable of staying on the floor is going to determine his future success. He has exceptional instincts on the glass, and is an explosive athlete en route to the hoop. Whether it’s in transition or attacking the rim of the bounce, Giles has a set of tools and moves that few other bigs can match.
If he’s able to keep his uncanny mobility on the perimeter, stay healthy, and continue to cultivate an outside jumper, he could very well move back up some big boards.” — Sixers: Top 10 Prospects to Watch, 4th Ed.
Outside Opinion:
“Harry Giles entered the 2016-17 college basketball season as the top-rated high school recruit in the country. The 6-foot-11 big man, though, was coming off of a torn ACL suffered during his senior year of high school. Then, he had another knee procedure prior to the start of the season that delayed his debut by 11 games. The version of Giles that has taken the floor for Duke this season is not the same one people saw in high school. Most notably, his explosiveness — both vertically and laterally — hasn’t been there. The key question for Giles during the medical process will be whether that’s just rust and conditioning or whether it’s a more chronic issue brought on by his multiple knee issues over the years.
That said, Giles has still been able to be productive for the Blue Devils in his limited minutes — Duke largely plays only one big man now, so there haven’t been a ton of minutes available for a guy seemingly still recovering from injury. In 12.4 minutes per game, Giles is averaging 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds, which translates to 17.2 points and 14.8 boards per 40 minutes.” — Chris Stone in FanSided’s NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 14.
Team Fit:
There’s a clearly defined risk in taking Giles given his injury history, but it could yield the greatest reward of any selection outside of the lottery if everything pans out in his favor. Giles’ myriad of knee surgeries has noticeably sapped the explosiveness that made him such a high-touted high school prospect, but his rebounding numbers and brief flashes of offensive production are enough to warrant some consideration.
This is a Detroit team that could benefit from some additional frontcourt depth with the recent struggles of Aaron Baynes and Boban Marjanovic. Andre Drummond and Jon Leuer have both earned their starting spots, but bringing along Giles slowly off the bench is likely the best way to approach his situation anyways.
There’s a once-generational talent in place here. The Pistons just have to hope he can clear the immense hurdles derived from his knee issues.