The Celtics need more big man help. That’s a saying that is all too familiar with any Celtics fan. The three-person duo of Enes Kanter, Robert Williams, and Daniel Theis is fine. It’s just not perfect or maybe even good enough to win a championship. Taking a flier on someone like Harry Giles feels like a risk that’s too small not to take.
Worst case scenario it makes Jayson Tatum happy. Tatum and Giles are terrific friends from their days at Duke. Tatum and Giles spent one season together at Duke, but it’s clear they both like each other. Keeping your star player is always a smart idea.
Giles also has massive potential. The 6-foot-11 power forward was the number one basketball recruit in the country once upon a time. Giles tore his ACL in high school and never really did anything in college. It was still good enough to get him picked 20th in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Let’s be honest, rehabbing from an injury, and Sacramento is a mix that doesn’t go together. You’re better off swiping left right off the bat. The Kings aren’t exactly a basketball factory. Giles never got much of a shot with the Kings.
Who cares what he did in Sacramento? On the flip side, his efficiency numbers were great. Giles posted a 55.4% field goal and a 77.6% free throw rate this past year. He also posted a PER of 16.4. The limited sample size numbers are promising.
Two years in, the Kings said no thanks. They declined his team option. Giles will head into his age 22 season with two years under his belt and far removed from his ACL injury. This is a flier the Celtics need to take. Make it happen, Danny Ainge.
