NBA Mock Draft 2017, Week 14: Markelle Fultz is still no. 1

Harry Giles entered the 2016-17 college basketball season as the top-rated high school recruit in the country. The 6-foot-11 big man, though, was coming off of a torn ACL suffered during his senior year of high school. Then, he had another knee procedure prior to the start of the season that delayed his debut by 11 games. The version of Giles that has taken the floor for Duke this season is not the same one people saw in high school. Most notably, his explosiveness — both vertically and laterally — hasn’t been there. The key question for Giles during the medical process will be whether that’s just rust and conditioning or whether it’s a more chronic issue brought on by his multiple knee issues over the years.

That said, Giles has still been able to be productive for the Blue Devils in his limited minutes — Duke largely plays only one big man now, so there haven’t been a ton of minutes available for a guy seemingly still recovering from injury. In 12.4 minutes per game, Giles is averaging 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds, which translates to 17.2 points and 14.8 boards per 40 minutes. He’s been an excellent rebounder on both ends of the floor, positing rebound rates of 18.4 percent on offense and 23.4 percent on defense. On offense, he’s still developing as a scorer in the post, but there are some occasional flashes of his talent.

This is certainly a risky pick for Charlotte. If Giles makes a full recovery, then he would be one of the biggest steals of the draft, but if he never fully recovers, then it’s much more difficult to say what he’ll be in the NBA.

Learn more about Harry Giles at The Step Back.