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Harry Giles III is ready for his NBA return with the Brooklyn Nets
Hailing from North Carolina, Harry Giles III emerged as the standout prospect of the 2016 class, earning ESPN's top ranking. This distinction led him to become a coveted recruit for Duke University.
In his lone year with the Blue Devils, Giles saw action in 26 games, albeit with limited playing time, averaging just 11.5 minutes per game. Following this stint, he entered the NBA Draft and was chosen 20th overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2018. Despite facing some challenges and a significant knee injury, Giles' professional journey has been marked by ups and downs. Now, he's set for a fresh start, determined to realize his NBA aspirations with the Brooklyn Nets.
“Man, I just had to just sit myself and just reset for a second man. You just got to hit the reset button because you got to start over,” Giles said on the Voice of Nets Podcast. “After I tore my ACL the second time he told me, If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably leads to nowhere.”
Giles on what he did to return to the NBA
A player of Giles' caliber, who was highly anticipated growing up, would naturally face challenges when they find themselves outside the league they've aspired to play in. However, Giles used those feelings and made sure to work hard behind the scenes and impress the NBA scouts enough to try them out for a team.
He told reporters during training camp that he changed his mindset from being a huge prospect with high expectations to being the underdog. He is realistic about what kind of obstacles he faced and now he’s ready to take advantage of the opportunity.
“You’ve got to find a new way to get another spark. So I’m just happy that my spark never died out… You just got to keep working hard and keep pushing,” Giles added.
Giles can contribute to the Nets roster
Standing at 6'11", Giles possesses the stature to serve as a valuable rotational big man in the NBA. While he'll be in the shadows of Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe on the Nets roster, Giles has the potential to make impactful sporadic appearances and, through impressive performances, earn consistent minutes under the discerning eye of head coach Jacque Vaughn.
He got his opportunity during NBA preseason against Maccabi Ra’anana where he scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field while grabbing 10 rebounds. It was a throwback to his younger years which he wants to recapture with Brooklyn in the 2023/24 season.
