2017 NBA Mock Draft, Week 22: College basketball is over

Finding a landing spot for Duke freshman Harry Giles is a difficult proposition given his injury history. At his peak, Giles was the consensus No. 1 prospect in this class, but he struggled this season to recover from a pair of knee surgeries. It makes the most sense, then, for Giles to land in a place that already has some frontcourt depth, that has time to spare investing in his development and ultimately that could reap the rewards of a high risk pick late in the first round. The Utah Jazz should be up to the task.

Giles was a freaky athlete prior to his injury and he showed flashes of it this season. On the whole, though, his lateral mobility wasn’t up to par and he really struggled to adapt to the speed of the college game after not playing competitive basketball for over a year. If Giles’ athleticism ultimately returns, he should be the type of big man who can anchor a defense as a rim protector and versatile defender. Even with the struggles, he still averaged 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per 40 minutes this season.

Giles offensive game isn’t super well-rounded, but he can play pick-and-roll and has a developing mid-range jumper. In the modern NBA, he probably projects best as the lone big in lineups where his lack of shooting won’t be as much of a problem.

Learn more about Harry Giles at The Step Back.