Duke Blue Devils: Harry Giles Declares For the NBA Draft
Harry Giles became the second underclassman to leave the Duke Blue Devils this off-season.
The Duke Blue Devils are losing another freshman to the NBA. First it was Jayson Tatum and now it is Harry Giles. Giles announced yesterday that he would declare for the NBA Draft. Duke has now lost Matt Jones, Amile Jefferson, Tatum, and Giles from last year’s preseason number one roster. Decisions still await Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen as they weigh their pro futures.
Giles had a lackluster year for the Devils. He was the incoming presumptive first pick in this upcoming NBA Draft, but he only averaged about four points a game. He was hampered by a lengthy recovery from ACL tears in both of his knees. We simply never got to see what kind of player Giles is or was.
His decision to go ahead and test draft waters may be based on injury risk. Giles has seen his value slip this year and it could continue to slip if he seemed unable to it around at Duke. This way he can keep at least some of his potential in the minds of NBA scouts. That could prevent any further tumbling.
It is familiar to the case of James Michael McAdoo in this sense. McAdoo never had more value to the NBA scouts than when he was a freshman. His value with mockers and scouts declined each year until he went undrafted as a junior since he was unable to overcome his issues. Giles can avoid this fate by getting out now while the promise of what he can do if healthy is still rosy.
Meanwhile Duke will have to contend with replacing more people. The nice part for Coach Mike Krzyzewski is that Duke always anticipated that Giles and Tatum would leave. Even now the next Duke super signing class is poised to take their places. The only question will be whether Allen and/or Kennard will make their exit as well.