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Sacramento Kings: Will Harry Giles Hit The Sophomore Wall?

By Rafe Wong

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 19: Harry Giles III #20 of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Spencer Dinwiddie #8 of the Brooklyn Nets at Golden 1 Center on March 19, 2019 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 19: Harry Giles III #20 of the Sacramento Kings is guarded by Spencer Dinwiddie #8 of the Brooklyn Nets at Golden 1 Center on March 19, 2019 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Harry Giles was able to showcase some highlights in his rookie season, but how will he fare in his sophomore campaign?

The Sacramento Kings are expected to be a team on the rise due to the constant improvement their young talent showed last regular season. Part of this young core for Sacramento is Harry Giles who the franchise drafted back in 2017 with the 20th pick.

At the time, Giles was a player that Kings fans only hoped to see on the court due to the knee troubles he faced for multiple years. Now that Giles has surpassed those injury woes and is completely healthy, the question now is how much of an asset can he be for the team going forward?

Giles’ Rookie Season

Last year, the Kings and their fans were able to get a little glimpse of Giles’ potential. In the 58 games that Giles played in his rookie campaign, he averaged around seven points, four rebounds, and two assists per contest while making over 50% of his shots from the floor.

To be fair, the averages are low for Giles due to only averaging around 14 minutes per appearance. But the more playing time Giles received, the higher his averages were. Especially in the last stage of the season, when Giles averaged over 18 minutes a contest, he contributed 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists a game while shooting 50% from the court.

Will Giles Beat The Sophomore Wall?

Giles definitely showed in his rookie season that he can hang with NBA competition, so the question now is whether he can be an efficient player at the highest level next year, or will he experience the notorious Sophomore Wall?

The answer to this question depends on how Harry approaches this offseason. Will he be able to improve on aspects of his game like rebounding, scoring, and interior defense? Skills that the Kings are hoping he can get better at.

Also, will Harry be able to improve physically and have a stature that is needed to endure the grind of an NBA schedule? As last season showed he was definitely being outmuscled by most of his opponents.

My Expectations For Giles

Based on how Giles’ development has gone, as well as most of the Kings’ youngsters, he should be able to improve going into next season. But with that said, growing pains will still be present, especially when it comes to the physicality of his game.

Although Giles brings a presence of aggression on the court, he is still young and his body has not filled out yet so I expect him to still struggle in the interior on both ends. But in terms of skill, he should be more consistent with his jump shot, playmaking ability, and on-court awareness.

Hopefully, Giles will invest a lot of his summer in the gym. He has the potential to become one of the core pieces to the Kings’ rebuild and has star potential. The question is, will reach his high ceiling?

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