Once the nation's top recruit, Duke's Harry Giles may finally get his moment
Amile Jefferson's injury is Giles' opportunity
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4 min read
The most hyped freshman entering college basketball this season: Duke's Harry Giles.
Well, it was supposed to be Giles. Then, a few weeks before the season started, it was announced Giles needed to have his knee scoped. He would miss an undetermined amount of time, but it would no doubt bleed into the regular season. Giles, the No. 1 class-of-2016 recruit in the country in the eyes of many, was stopped before he ever got started, and because of this, a lot of the steam around him cooled.
He was at one point considered the best pro prospect in the 2016 class. But he missed his entire senior season of high school ball after suffering a second ACL tear to his knee. For a long time now, Giles' ability and his potential has been merely a tease; a myth built up based off play on the AAU circuit.
Thankfully, Giles is now seemingly healthy. You might've missed a lot of this, because of the Grayson Allen melodrama and the Mike Krzyzewski surgery news, but Giles has already played in five games for Duke. He's just yet to have a moment of arrival, so to speak.
That moment could arrive Tuesday night.
Duke has a road tilt at ninth-ranked, 15-1 Florida State. It's one of the biggest games in FSU's history. And here's Duke, again, incomplete with its roster availability. Starting power forward Amile Jefferson (who has been a top-20 player of value and statistical impact in college hoops this season) is out.
With this, we'll probably get a great look at Giles, who should not only get the start but also be expected to get the most burn of his season. Let's look at how Giles has done since he made his college debut on Dec. 19 against Tennessee State.
| Harry Giles' first five games | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks | Steals | Minutes |
| Tennessee State, Dec. 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Elon, Dec. 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Virginia Tech, Dec. 31 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Georgia Tech, Jan. 4 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Boston College, Jan. 7 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
Some serious progress on a game-by-game basis. Giles was slowly brought back in against two lesser teams, then earned 13 minutes of playing time in a tough loss at Virginia Tech. Remember, that's the game Allen missed. In the two most recent games, both at home, Giles made big improvements. It's clear that his conditioning is getting better and so his is comfort level with Duke's offense.
Here's a nice highlight reel of Giles going against Boston College. Notice how many different things he does here -- on both ends. That steal at the top of the key is a gamble, but also a flash of how special Giles can be. Not many players his size can defend that far out from the hoop on a guard -- and pull off the swipe.
I realize it's only Boston College, and overall Duke has yet to play a very good team with Giles in the lineup (the jury's still out on Virginia Tech). But we're seeing steady improvement here. He's not been as immediately amazing as fellow frosh Jayson Tatum was, but he's also not the same kind of player. And while Tatum has no competition or like player on the wing, Giles is doing a lot of the stuff that Jefferson's proven capable of.
That's what will make the Florida State game so interesting. If he can dodge foul trouble, Giles will probably log more than 25 minutes for the first time this season. He'll likely be put on Jonathan Isaac, a lanky freshman 4 who can step out and shoot. You'll be getting something of a glimpse of the future of the NBA if Isaac and Giles are handling each other in many one-on-one situations 18 feet from the hoop. Both are capable of shooting from deep. (Isaac, like Giles, is 6-foot-10, and is shooting 36 percent from 3.)
Giles' role should only expand from here. There's a reason he was considered -- prior to his second significant knee injury -- the No. 1 recruit in maybe a decade. He plays hard, cares, has good feel and defensive instinct. He can work the post. He can step out and shoot. His athleticism and power around the rim is unstoppable against less athletes. We've only seen the start of Giles. Hopefully we get to see him at his full potential this season.
So far, it's been a slow but optimistic start. Florida State presents the first real challenge, and from there, the ACC calendar won't let up much. Duke has the potential to be the most loaded team in the country. The element that could make them historically great is if Giles becomes the team's best player. That's hard to imagine right now, but it's what everyone thought would be the case long ago. So long as Jefferson is out, Giles will have his chance to prove he's ready to be more than just a really good player, but a special one too.
