NBA Mock Draft: Milwaukee Bucks Selects Harry Giles From Duke

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SB Nation's NBA Network conducted a mock draft with bloggers from each team site making their team's pick. To continue the 2017 NBA Mock Draft, Brew Hoop takes Harry Giles from Duke

By Dakota Schmidt@Dakota_Schmidt Jun 16, 2017, 11:30am EDT

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NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Final-Notre Dame vs Duke

NBA Mock Draft Pick #17 -- Harry Giles, Power Forward, Duke

SBNation’s Milwaukee Bucks’ blog Brew Hoop explains their pick:

Giles injury history raises immediate question marks, particularly considering Milwaukee already hosts another ACL-challenged Blue Devil on their roster, but there's no point in reaching for a guard just to fit a need. The draft remains the Bucks best chance to add a marquee talent, and it's worth taking a chance on someone once considered a consensus number one pick. Giles can provide some frontcourt insurance if Greg Monroe and Spencer Hawes opt out this summer, and he wouldn't be asked to contribute immediately. His stretchy, athletic game fits well with Milwaukee's roster and his rebounding prowess, while potentially not translatable immediately in the big leagues, would be a welcome boon to a team that continues to struggle in that aspect.

Ridiculous Upside Analysis

Since they selected Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Bucks have repeatedly been pursuing these “high-risk, high-reward” prospects. Although some of those selects didn’t end well (hi Rashad Vaughn), that approach has given the Bucks an All-NBA talent (Antetokounmpo) and arguably one of the best prospects from last year’s NBA Draft (Thon Maker). The selection of Giles continues with that pattern as he really hasn’t played a full season of basketball since he was a junior in high school due to lingering issues with his knees. However when he’s actually healthy, Giles is a terrific player as he’s a tremendous rebounder that can also score in a variety of different ways.