The Nuggets recently held a pre-draft workout that featured Duke forward, Harry Giles.
Today we take a look at another pre-draft prospect with another prospect analysis, this time featuring the Duke forward. I know you may have already read our other draft preview on him, but this kid has so much potential that we felt he deserved another preview.
Giles is not a player that should be expected to be a great influence early. He had knee problems during his lone season at Duke. He struggled to live up to his number one recruit status while playing in the ACC for the Blue Devils. Giles was also out-shined by the likes of Jayson Tatum, Grayson Allen, and Luke Kennard on his own team last year.
Denver Nuggets
Because of this, you may be asking, “Blake, why in the world would the Nuggets want to draft a guy who couldn’t even average four points per game?” The answer is simple really, in fact, it’s one word. Potential.
Giles is 6’10” forward who is an athletic freak in the post. That sounds awfully familiar to another athletic freak that plays for the Nuggets, Kenneth Faried, except Giles is two inches taller. He has a 7’3″ wingspan, so he could have active hands when fighting in the post (via DraftExpress).
The part of his game that has the most potential is the defensive side of the ball. Anybody who watched the Nuggets last year could tell you that defense was definitely not their strong point last season. Denver finished with the third best offense in the league last season, while they were 27th in points allowed per game (per ESPN). Long story short, a team isn’t going to win many games with that much of a difference in their sides of the ball.
I know that he struggled in college, but he was fun to watch before Duke. Living in southwestern Virginia, I was able to see some of Giles in action at Oak Hill Academy. It was quite a sight, and it was no surprise that he received the honor of being the number one recruit in America . He struggled at Duke, but maybe it was the knee problems holding him back in the long run.
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Any player who has the athleticism and build that Harry Giles possesses has a chance at being good in the NBA. Not to mention, this is a player who will likely be available to the Nuggets at the thirteenth pick. If Denver has other plans that do not come to fruition on draft night, Giles could receive a call to the Mile High City.