Duke basketball forwards Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles (Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports)
Former Duke Basketball One-And-Done Displays Upside in Limited Minutes
Harry Giles has played only 12 minutes between his two appearances for the Brooklyn Nets. However, that's better than zero minutes across the 2021-22 and 2022-23 NBA seasons, as the 2016-17 Duke basketball big man was without a home in the league and honed his craft in hopes of resurrecting his career.
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On Sunday, albeit in a 121-99 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Giles recorded five points and one rebound in six minutes off the bench. He shot 2-for-3 from the field, missing his only 3-point attempt, and 1-for-1 at the charity stripe.
Nine days earlier, in his regular-season debut with the Nets, the 25-year-old, who was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers 20th overall in 2017 following his injury-dampened one-and-done campaign with the Blue Devils, tallied seven points and one rebound in seven minutes of action.
He shot 3-for-3, including 1-for-1 from deep in that outing, a 121-107 road loss to the Boston Celtics and Giles' one-and-done Duke basketball teammate, Jayson Tatum.
Thus, Giles has made all but one of his six field goal attempts this season and committed only one turnover and two fouls.
Ignoring the fact that the sample size is tiny and he's been on the receiving end of opponents' mop-up duty, note that his point total matches his minutes of playing time, and he's shooting 83.3 percent from the field, 50.0 percent beyond the arc, and 100.0 percent at the line.
Again, it's limited action in less-than-meaningful stretches. But it's something. It's significant for Harry Giles at this critical juncture in his career.
The Nets (6-7) have a few days off before traveling to face the Atlanta Hawks (6-6) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Hawks feature a trio of Duke basketball products: head coach Quin Snyder, plus forwards AJ Griffin and Jalen Johnson.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball news.