The Kings used a first-round pick on Harry Giles in 2017 and seemed to view him as a franchise cornerstone during his de facto rookie season in 2018/19. However, Sacramento turned down its fourth-year option for 2020/21 on Giles this fall and the big man has only appeared in seven games so far this season, logging 52 total minutes.
Giles, whose rookie season was wiped out due to knee problems, is healthy now after battling injuries in recent years. Still, he hasn’t seen the court since November 27 and admits to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee that falling out of the rotation this season has been difficult.
“It’s tough,” Giles said. “I’m a competitor, so it’s hard, but it is what it is. It’s not my decision. All I can do is work hard every day, control what I can control, and stay as ready as I can. What else can I do?”
As Anderson notes, Giles was expected to vie with Richaun Holmes for backup center minutes behind Dewayne Dedmon this season, but the Kings’ frontcourt rotation has been upended as a result of impressive performances from Holmes and Nemanja Bjelica. Neither Dedmon nor Giles has played as of late, though head coach Luke Walton suggests both big men should get another chance at some point.
“He’s going to get an opportunity and it’s his job to be ready and take full advantage of that,” Walton said of Giles. “Right now, we feel like our best group is tightening the rotation and keeping as much shooting and spacing out there as we can. With Marvin [Bagley] coming back, we wanted to get him in that rotation, but we’re playing eight or nine guys right now, so it’s more of a numbers thing. We want to play everyone, but we can’t.”
While the Kings say Giles will get another chance and insist he hasn’t been ruled out as a long-term piece, it seems unlikely at this point that his time in Sacramento will extend beyond this season — especially with Bagley, Holmes, Dedmon, and Bjelica all on multiyear deals. Giles, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, will be just 22 years old at that time, so I’d expect another NBA team to roll the dice on his upside if Sacramento doesn’t retain him.
Hell latch on somewhere next season.
Should have stayed in school to refine his game and play more minutes.
That’s one reason that I haven’t heard mentioned enough for players staying in school. The opportunity to become LEGENDARY in your college town. Staying an extra 3 years could give players more time of being the BMOC instead of end of the bench fodder. It might not sound like much, but it will definitely pay off in the long run. Having weekly games on ESPN will get you seen. Being a college superstar not only feeds the ego, but it also builds your brand.
And then, even if your pro career flops badly, there are going to be tons of employment opportunities in and around your college town. I live just outside of Lexington, KY and there are lots of former Wildcats that own car dealerships, pizza places, bars, and more. And it’s not the one and done guys, it’s the guys that stayed around. And I’m sure that is true of dozens of other college towns.
OR
You can go to the G League and be seen by a few hundred people that show up and occasionally get called up to hold down the bench in the NBA. Yes, they’ll get paid, but they still get paid if you stay in school, just a couple of years later. It’s not an either/or situation.
Probably true for Durham as well (Giles).
Celtics should be all over this guy. Kings trying to leverage what they can by saying “could still be long term piece” but in reality hes only going to have a handful of opportunities to prove his worth and hed really have turn some heads for their opinion of him to change. Id see what the kings want for him perhaps a couple 2nds or a young developmental player that suites a need. If anything take a crack at him in FA when the time comes. C’s already have williams who needs PT to develope as well, but guys like Kanter and Theis shouldnt be “in the way” of the team rolling out Giles/williams or young players of their ilk. Id rather see them play young guys with upside (that suite glaring needs) and live with some mistakes then watch theis and kanter and still have “needs”
In a way, I’m kind of happy Giles is not playing, seeing as he’ll be gone from the organization that threw him under the bus in order to justify their bad decision not to pick up his cheap option, the status of his knees notwithstanding. He had already shown enough flashes on the court to be worth converting.
And because it’s the Kings, it certainly wouldn’t not surprise me if he latches on to another team next season and becomes a nice contributor off of the bench. The talent is certainly there; it all comes down to his knees.