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Milwaukee Bucks: 5 options for pick No. 17 in 2017 NBA Draft

By Josh Cornelissen

Mar 10, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Harry Giles (1) reacts during the second half of an ACC Conference Tournament game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Harry Giles (1) reacts during the second half of an ACC Conference Tournament game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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5. Harry Giles, PF, Duke

The 2016 NBA Draft was an “eight player draft” with a major drop-off after the eighth pick. For teams picking ninth or later, their chances to get a truly elite talent were limited at best. That didn’t stop Milwaukee from taking Thon Maker at 10th, a player who right now clearly looks like one of the draft’s best talents.

If Milwaukee is again to take a special talent who down the road looks like one of the draft’s best players, their best bet is Harry Giles. Ranked either first or second by every major recruiting source, Giles’ combination of size, skill and athleticism was truly unique among high school stars.

But two major knee injuries in three years took Giles off of the court and into a rehab program, and even once he hit the court at Duke he didn’t look like an elite prospect. He averaged just 11.5 minutes per game for the Blue Devils, putting up 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

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    • The key to Giles’ draft stock is his medical evaluation. If teams feel confident he is going to make a full recovery and regain most if not all of his athleticism, then Giles deserves to be a top-10 pick. If any red flags come up, he could fall — and the drop could be endless.

    For Milwaukee to have a chance to draft him, they will need teams to stay away because of his injury history. For them to use the pick on Giles, they will also need confidence of their own that he will regain full strength and agility. Their training staff has a semi-success story in Jabari Parker, another Duke forward with a knee injury who made a full recovery, to bolster their confidence (though we should note yet another knee injury sidelined Parker to close the 2016-17 season).

    A fully healthy Giles would fit into a power forward rotation with Jabari Parker, and he has the upside of playing as a small-ball center in switch-heavy lineups. While Milwaukee needs shooting, the elite talent Giles provides may be too much to pass on if he remains on the board at No. 17.

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