Not long ago, Harry Giles III was considered a prized piece of a young core that was expected to lead the Kings back to prominence following an excruciating 13-year playoff drought. The organisation put him on posters and billboards, promoting him as a big part of the team’s future.
Now, Giles toils in obscurity at the end of the bench, frustrating fans who want to see more after getting glimpses of the upside the team touted over his first two seasons in the NBA. Giles has appeared in only seven games this season and had not played since November 27 as the Kings prepared to play the Houston Rockets on Monday night at Golden 1 Center. He also didn’t play on Monday.
“It’s tough,” Giles told The Sacramento Bee. “I’m a competitor, so it’s hard, but it is what it is. It’s not my decision. All I can do is work hard every day, control what I can control, and stay as ready as I can. What else can I do?”
Giles is stuck in a logjam at the centre position in Sacramento. The Kings brought in two centres over the summer, signing free agents Dewayne Dedmon and Richaun Holmes. Dedmon was brought in to start next to Marvin Bagley III while Holmes was expected to compete with Giles, but that plan hasn’t panned out.
Bagley broke his thumb in the season opener and Dedmon was benched after struggling with his 3-point shot, prompting coach Luke Walton to start Holmes and Nemanja Bjelica in the frontcourt. Now, Holmes is flourishing in a breakout season, Bjelica is providing essential spacing with his perimeter shooting and Bagley is coming off the bench at centre, leaving Dedmon and Giles out of the rotation. Walton said Giles must keep working and remain patient.
“He’s going to get an opportunity and it’s his job to be ready and take full advantage of that,” Walton said. “Right now, we feel like our best group is tightening the rotation and keeping as much shooting and spacing out there as we can. With Marvin coming back, we wanted to get him in that rotation, but we’re playing eight or nine guys right now, so it’s more of a numbers thing. We want to play everyone, but we can’t.”
The Kings selected Giles with the 20th pick in the 2017 NBA draft, taking a chance on a player who was once projected as the No 1 pick before suffering a series of injuries to both knees. Giles impressed in individual and team workouts during his first season but did not appear in any games, taking the year off to rehabilitate his injuries and refine his game.
Giles averaged 14.1 minutes in 58 games in 2018-19, posting per-36-minute averages of 17.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals. Fans envisioned an exciting future featuring Bagley and Giles in the frontcourt with De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield in the backcourt, but doubts about Giles’ fate with the franchise arose in October when the Kings declined to pick up his $3.98 million fourth-year option for 2020-21. The Kings can still try to re-sign Giles as an unrestricted free agent, but under the Collective Bargaining Agreement they cannot offer more than that amount in the first year of any new deal.
Reports surfaced suggesting the organisation was unhappy with Giles’ summer work ethic. He missed most of training camp and the start of the season after experiencing swelling and soreness in his left knee, but a league source said the team still “loves Harry” and “will continue to support his development,” adding “this decision does not mean that he could not be an important piece of the team in the future.”
Walton said Giles will get his chance.
“We value what he can do, and it’s a long season,” Walton said. “He’ll get another opportunity and then he just needs to be ready for it.”
Fox believes Giles will be prepared.
“He’s still working,” Fox said. “Obviously, it’s all about opportunity, and when his opportunity comes, I think he’ll be ready.”
Giles continues to be a positive presence in the locker room and on the bench, supporting teammates despite his own frustrations. He demurred when asked if he is confident his next opportunity would come with the Kings.
“It’s not about that,” Giles said. “You’ve just got to be ready regardless of whether it does or not, so you just have to keep working hard every day, stay prepared and stay confident in yourself.”
Related Story