Sacramento Kings: 5 reasons to be excited for 2018-19 NBA season

5. The official professional debut of Harry Giles

If you follow the grassroots and youth basketball scene, this one has felt like a long time coming.

Once upon a time, Giles was the No. 1-ranked high school player in his class, a versatile big man who was drawing comparisons to Kevin Garnett and Chris Webber before he was old enough to legally drive. Two serious knee injuries in high school were not enough to prevent Giles from being recruited by the nation’s top college programs, and he wound up at Duke.

Another knee surgery delayed his NCAA debut, and after he joined a typically loaded Blue Devils squad, he played just 11 minutes per game as a freshman. He decided to go pro anyway, and was picked in the first round despite his bare-bones college resume.

The Kings held Giles out for all of last season to make sure his knees and other body parts will be strong enough to handle the NBA grind. This season, he’ll make his long-awaited pro debut with the same kind of head start that propelled Blake Griffin, Ben Simmons and Julius Randle to success in the league.

Giles has been productive in the preseason, averaging 15.2 points in Sacramento’s first four games and showcasing the ability to contribute right away as a 6’10” rebounder and defender. He is also a very good passer, something that teammates and coaches regularly praised him for last season while he was practicing with the Kings.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1049513517194326017

Giles may as well adopt the nickname “If He Can Stay Healthy” because it’s going to be used in reference to him constantly, but so far he’s looking like he’ll make an impact in the NBA rookie season that was predicted for him so long ago.