Portland Trail Blazers: Harry Giles III addition is Sacramento’s loss

When the Kings didn’t exercise the team option for Harry Giles III, their relationship was done. The Portland Trail Blazers will reap the rewards.

Despite it only being the preseason, there is so much to be excited about as a Portland Trail Blazers fan. One of these things is the play of Harry Giles III and the Blazers have the front office of the Sacramento Kings to thank for this.

Giles was once considered one of the most talented players to enter the NBA in a long time. Unfortunately, he has had a checkered injury history which started in college. He missed the entirety of his rookie season due to a knee injury.

Giles then only played 58 games in his second season, bouncing between the NBA and the G League. The problem there is the Kings did not start Giles in any games, losing the ability to develop him against the best talent available. Giles then only played in 46 games last season.

What Kings’ mistake benefitted the Portland Trail Blazers.

When the Kings decided not to exercise Giles’ fourth-year team option, they ensured that the big man would not come back. Their reasoning would have been that he is too often injured and they were so close to the postseason.

They would have hoped that they could have re-signed Bogdan Bogdanovic so they could have a decent run at the playoffs in 2020-21. Well, Bogdanovic has gone to the Atlanta Hawks and Giles decided to take his talents to the Blazers.

While he is true bench depth, Giles showed a little of what he is capable of as an NBA player if he is in the right system. Giles played 25 minutes in his preseason debut in Portland and had a stat line of 18 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and an assist. He was 8-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-4 from the line.

Of his 14 rebounds, four of these were offensive which is a tremendous boost from the bench. Admittedly neither Marvin Bagley nor Hassan Whiteside were playing but Giles displayed a tenacity which the Kings lacked for much of the game.

While it could be argued that Giles was heightened emotionally for this preseason game because it was against his old team, that does not matter. The instincts he showed on defense were the same ones that saw him as the highest-ranked high school player before he entered college.

Giles isn’t likely to be a double-double machine for the Blazers this season. He got more minutes than he normally would have in his first game and his opposing center was not of the caliber that he will face throughout the season.

What he did announce was that the Blazers had a defensive option to back up Jusuf Nurkic if Enes Kanter is being beaten. He also showed that he already had a solid understanding of his role on the second unit.

Giles would have rewarded the Kings if they looked his way. He has shown dedication to getting his body right after each injury and this speaks to his mindset. Instead, the Kings decided that he was an injured player and cut their losses too early.

If Giles continues to play with this intensity, it is Sacramento’s loss. His type of game can be the x-factor for a franchise. Now the Trail Blazers have a player with a thirst to prove himself and a platform to do it on.