Third knee surgery delays prized freshman Harry Giles' Duke debut
Harry Giles’ latest knee surgery raises some ominous questions for Duke.
The first is whether the prized freshman forward will regain peak form at any point in what is expected to be his lone season of college basketball. The second is whether Giles might be better off sitting out most or even all of this season rather than risking suffering another injury or exposing a potential loss of explosiveness.
Duke announced Monday that Giles underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee earlier in the day and is expected to be sidelined for six weeks. That is the same knee in which Giles tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus prior to his sophomore year in high school.
Giles returned from his original injury to reclaim his status as the top prospect in the 2016 class, but his comeback was derailed last fall when he tore the ACL in his other knee and had to sit out his entire senior season of high school. The 6-foot-10 forward had expressed hope of being ready in time for Duke’s Nov. 11 season opener prior to Monday’s surgery.
“We’re very pleased with the outcome of today’s procedure,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. “This is the right step for Harry at the moment as it will help him be 100 percent going forward. Harry has done a tremendous job in rehabilitation over the last year and I’m sure he’ll continue to do the same after this procedure.”
While the six-week timetable would have Giles back on the floor by Duke’s fourth game of the season against Penn State on Nov. 19, it seems overly optimistic to suggest he’ll be anywhere near full strength by then. This is his third knee surgery in a little over three years, and his second in the past 11 months.
As he rehabs both knees, Giles should consider two questions: 1. What is his NBA draft stock today? 2. Is he more likely to boost his stock or damage it further by playing for Duke this winter?
Thanks to his ferocity on the glass and explosiveness around the rim, a healthy Giles would be among the leading contenders to be selected No. 1 overall in next year’s NBA draft. Questions about his health might cause him to slide if he doesn’t play for Duke this season or at the draft combine in May, but his stock could fall further if he returns and reinjures one of his knees or fails to recapture his high school form.
Likely preseason No. 1 Duke does have the luxury of being able to survive without Giles for awhile and to bring him along slowly when he does return.
Fifth-year senior Amile Jefferson is entrenched in one starting frontcourt position. Five-star freshman Marques Bolden will likely start at the other spot until Giles is healthy enough to supplant him. Six-foot-10 sophomore Chase Jeter should be capable of cracking the rotation this year after playing sparingly as a freshman and newcomer Javin DeLaurier undoubtedly could play a few minutes here and there too.
Ultimately, while this latest knee surgery isn’t good news for Giles, the freshman at least is in a good spot.
Duke will not put pressure on him to rush back too quickly. It will be up to him to decide how soon to return — or if it’s worth playing this season at all.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!