2017 NBA Mock Draft: Fultz to Celtics, Ball to Lakers after lottery
By Chris Stone
Harry Giles
C, Duke
If the Los Angeles Lakers do end up with a backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Lonzo Ball, they’ll want a big man who can both play in the likely switching defensive scheme they’ll play and be able to protect the rim. There aren’t a ton of those options late in the first round, but the Lakers could find a boon in Duke’s Harry Giles if he’s ever able to fully recover from the ACL tear he suffered during his senior season of high school and his preseason knee surgery in 2016.
Prior to the injuries, Giles was a monster lateral athlete, the exact type of center that you would want playing in a scheme that relies upon him switching onto smaller players for stretches. This season, though, Giles didn’t look as comfortable on the perimeter and he struggled defending pick-and-roll, likely due (at least somewhat) to the lack of practice time early in the season.
Still, Giles managed to average 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per 40 minutes as a freshman. Those numbers are promising. If he can make a full recovery with additional time, he would be a steal for Los Angeles at No. 28.