Duke’s Harry Giles entering NBA Draft despite disappointing freshman season

The 6-10 freshman was once considered a guaranteed top-five pick

By Gary Parrish

Mar 28, 2017 at 2:21 pm ET • 1 min read

Duke’s Harry Giles will enter and remain in the NBA Draft despite a subpar freshman season caused by injuries, he announced Tuesday afternoon.

Giles averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game.

He’s suffered torn ACLs in both knees.

He had another knee surgery before the start of the season.

Giles was projected as the consensus No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft before surgeries, at least temporarily, robbed him of his explosiveness. The 6-foot-10 forward never looked comfortable at Duke. He only played nine minutes in the Blue Devils’ loss to South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“Playing in the NBA has been my goal for as long as I can remember, and I’m so excited to take the next step in that journey,” Giles said. “My time at Duke has been a dream come true. I’ve built so many strong relationships here. I have so many people to thank -- from my teammates and coaches to our medical staff and strength coach.”