Harry Giles will not stay at Duke past his freshman season; the 6-foot-11 power forward has officially declared for the 2017 NBA Draft, Duke announced Tuesday:
HG. NBA next. #TheBrotherhood forever. ??? pic.twitter.com/CQRBbm3iks
— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 28, 2017
"I'm thankful for the opportunity. I'm thankful for the memories. I'll be part of the Duke family forever." ???#TheBrotherhood pic.twitter.com/nc6402193D
— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 28, 2017
“After taking time with my family and reflecting on the season, I’ve decided to put my name into the 2017 NBA Draft. I would like to thank my coaches, my teammates and the best fans in the world for supporting me through this long journey; through my downs and my ups, they supported me regardless and helped me get through the tough times,” said Giles in his statement, released by Duke.
Giles was the top-ranked player in his class, but his injury concerns are frightening. Giles missed two seasons in high school due to two separate ACL tears. After a third knee injury, Giles missed 11 games of his freshman season and only played 11.5 minutes per game when he was on the court.
The upside is clearly there with Giles, but it’s rather difficult to be confident that he’ll ever fulfill his potential after his slew of injuries. Therefore, it’s not easy to approximate when he will be selected in the draft. A team could take a risk on Giles as early as the late lottery. It also wouldn’t be shocking to see him last until the second round.
