The Sacramento Kings need Harry Giles to reach the next level

With a bitter fight for the playoffs looming for 2019-20, the Sacramento Kings need Harry Giles to take the next step if they hope to reach the playoffs.

For the 2019-20 Sacramento Kings, Harry Giles is key to the team’s playoff aspirations. They need Giles to take the next step if they hope to take the next step as a team, and without it, the team’s season — and future — could be in jeopardy.

But, how did a player heading into his second (technically third) season coming off a year where he averaged just 14 minutes per game become an integral part of the Kings’ future?

It all starts with his skill set. The traditional NBA big man is dead as we know it, and if you’re building a championship contending team, you need a big who can either pass or space the floor — preferably both. Giles isn’t a floor-spacer, but his passing and rebounding acumen are vital to Sacramento’s success.

It’s no secret the Sacramento Kings rely on speed to be successful (third fastest pace last season), and Giles (106.54 pace in ‘18-19) is the perfect center for this team — even with Dewayne Dedmon (103.89 pace) in the fold.

Dedmon is a 29-year-old big who has never played more than 25.1 minutes per game in a season, and while he’s also an important part of the Kings’ success this season, it’s Giles, not Dedmon, who’ll likely be playing the majority of minutes at center by the end of the season — if all goes well.

That, in essence, is why Giles is so important to this team. His potential is intriguing, yes, and he could be a contender for Most Improved Player next season, but if he’s able to take the next step and become the Kings’ primary center, the team’s ceiling goes from fringe playoff contender to potential dark-horse championship contender.

The Sacramento Kings already have an impressive duo in De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III who will be a solid foundation for future success, add in Buddy Hield and that gives them a fringe big-three. But, if Giles can take a big-step forward next season, or over the next few seasons, that gives Sacramento a bona-fide big-three with three players under 25, and a player in Buddy Hield — already a top player in his own right — entering his prime, the Kings become more than a promising young squad, they become the NBA’s next big thing.

In his rookie year, Giles averaged 17.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.4 steals and a block per-36 minutes. Add that to Fox’s 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game and Bagley’s per-36 numbers of 21.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 blocks and you have an All-Star trio on your hands — if Giles and Bagley can hit those marks.

It seems like a safe bet that Bagley will become a 20-10 player in his career, but Giles is less certain.

What is certain, however, is that the Sacramento Kings need Harry Giles to assume the mantle as Sacramento’s third — or fourth — star. He’s already a fan-favorite, and if his on-court production matches his off-court persona, he could be more than a fan-favorite, he could be the team’s saving grace — and the player that put Sacramento over the edge.