The former Duke basketball one-and-done is averaging over 18 points per outing this season.
Injuries plagued Harry Giles as a 2016-17 Duke basketball forward. And those woes followed him into his pro career after he came off the board No. 20 overall to the Sacramento Kings at the 2017 NBA Draft.
Even so, between his stints with the Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers, Giles played in 165 NBA regular season games, averaging 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists for his career. He also spent some time competing in the NBA G League before taking his talents overseas in 2024.
Harry Giles is now in his second campaign as a player in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Last season, he suited up for the Shanxi Loongs Brave Dragons, averaging only 7.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 11.9 minutes. This go-round, following a career-high scoring performance in his latest outing, the 27-year-old from Winston-Salem, N.C., is tallying 18.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 steals across his 29.0 minutes per game for the Jiangsu Dragons.
Giles’ top scoring total came in Jiangsu’s 90-71 road loss to the Shenzhen Leopards on Sunday night. Nonetheless, his individual stat line was impressive, as he amassed 28 points, 11 boards, two takeaways, and one block in 30 minutes of action, shooting 14-for-24 from the field, 3-for-5 from three, and 3-for-4 at the charity stripe. He and the Dragons (6-16 overall) have won five of their past eight games. However, they currently sit 19th overall in the 20-team CBA standings; Giles has been on the court in all 22 of the team’s contests thus far.
As a Duke basketball reserve almost a decade ago, Harry Giles averaged 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Although his 11.5 minutes on the floor per game under now-retired Mike Krzyzewski didn’t amount to what most folks expected when he arrived in Durham as a five-star recruit, it’s worth remembering some of his most impactful performances came in the Blue Devils’ two victories over the archrival UNC Tar Heels that season.
