Harry Giles Goes Scoreless in Duke Debut, But It’s All About March

Harry Giles went scoreless in 4 minutes in his Duke debut on Monday night, a 65-55 win over Tennessee State.

But the Giles we all saw on Dec. 19 likely will have little or no resemblance to the Giles we will see come March, when Duke hopes to challenge for Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s sixth NCAA championship.

“I’m trying to win a national championship, there’s no need for me to sugar coat anything or act like I’m not,” he told me in April at the Jordan Classic. “That’s my goal going in. I’m going to work hard and I’m willing to do anything to get it.”

As ZAGSBLOG earlier reported he would, Giles stepped onto a court for a game for the first time in 13 months. He obviously has a lot of rust to shake off.

“He played four minutes a took one shot,” an NBA scout who was at the game said. “Not a lot to go on.”

Said Giles: “It’s just getting used to the speed. It was fast, too, so it was just fun to be out there, just trying to figure it out.”

Duke’s Harry Giles Expected to Debut Monday Night vs. Tennessee State

Duke freshman big man Harry Giles is expected to make his debut Monday night against Tennessee State, multiple sources told ZAGSBLOG. 

The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

The 6-foot-10 Giles at one point was projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, which now has him at No. 13, behind fellow freshman teammate Jayson Tatum (No. 6) and ahead of teammate Marques Bolden (No. 16).

“If he plays [this season] and looks OK, he could be the first pick,” one NBA scout said of Giles. “If he plays and gets hurt, he’s going to drop.”

Giles had his left knee scoped in early October to clean up scar tissue after he tore ligaments three years ago.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has often emphasized his team’s long-term goals over any short-term jolt that might come from rushing Giles (and the other injured freshmen before him) into action before he’s healthy — and risking re-injury. He said during the preseason that Duke is “going to try to conduct our season appropriately” because the key question is “will we have all the talent available at the time you have the opportunity to win the championship?”

“Harry’s practicing, he hasn’t had as much contact yet,” Krzyzewski said Dec. 6 at the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Duke’s Harry Giles Expected to Debut Before Christmas

NEW YORK –– Duke could get an early Christmas present in the form of a projected NBA lottery pick.

Freshman big man Harry Giles is expected to make his debut against Tennessee State on Dec. 19, a source told ZAGSBLOG. The Blue Devils play UNLV on Saturday before playing Tennessee State and then Elon on Dec. 21 — both in North Carolina.

“Harry’s practicing, he hasn’t had as much contact yet,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Tuesday night after freshman forward Jayson Tatum went for a career-high 22 points and 8 rebounds in his second game of the season as No. 5 Duke beat No. 21 Florida, 84-74, in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.