2017 NBA Mock Draft, Week 11: Love and hate edition

What to love: Duke’s Harry Giles was once rated as the top prospect in this draft class. As a 6-foot-11 big man with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Giles has excellent athleticism, tremendous defensive versatility and a strong offensive game. He is currently averaging 16.8 points and 15.1 rebounds per 40 minutes for the Blue Devils. In high school, Giles showed the ability to be a defensive anchor because he could move laterally along the perimeter and protect the interior with his rim protection. He’s always been an excellent rebounder and he has a developed post game on the offensive end. Giles doesn’t have much range on his jump shot yet, but he’ll occasionally flash a mid-range jumper that suggests it could be developed over time.

What to hate: So, why isn’t Giles the top rated prospect in the class now? The answer is pretty simple. The 18-year old has had two ACL injuries since the start of high school and had another knee surgery before the start of the college season that delayed his debut. Since returning from the injury, Giles has shown some of the vertical explosiveness that attracted scouts to him in the first place, but he looks less comfortable moving laterally on defense. Having not played basketball for a year and a half, Giles still looks like he’s getting his feet under him and the fear is that that may be a more perpetual state of existence with the injuries lingering in the back of his mind.

Learn more about Harry Giles at The Step Back.