Chris Paul’s Prodigy Tasked to End Lakers’ Suffering: Deep Dive Into 6’11 Recruit’s NBA Network

The Los Angeles Lakers finally made a much-needed move to improve their roster. LeBron James and Co. have made a decent run recently and improved to a 33-28 record. However, they are still the 10th seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers hope to climb the rankings to get into the playoffs by winning the majority of their remaining 21 games. To facilitate their goals, they have signed 6’11 Center Harry Giles III on a two-way contract.

Giles started the season playing for the Brooklyn Nets after they signed the free agent in September. Unfortunately, he was waived by the Nets at last month’s trade deadline. Giles played only 16 games in the Nets uniform, averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds. The Lakers signing Chris Paul’s prodigy could solve many problems for Darvin Ham. With Lakers’ big men Christian Wood and Colin Castleton out of action due to injury, Giles could play a major role coming off the bench.

The 25-year-old’s two-way presence will help the Lakers add some points on the board and get better on defense. Even though Harry Giles III has not had a great career in the NBA, he was once projected to be a future superstar. The Duke star had deep NBA connections from an early age. Point God Chris Paul was one of Giles’ mentors. CP3 even shared the news of Giles’ Lakers signing on his Instagram story. Giles also had a great friendship with Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum. Giles revealed in a 2018 interview that Tatum constantly checked on him while he was struggling with injuries during college. Tatum expressed his joy after the Lakers signed Giles by sharing the news on his story.

The Heartbreaking Story of Harry Giles

Harry Giles III was the Number 1 prep player of his class over future NBA stars Markelle Fultz and Jayson Tatum. Many believed he would be drafted Number 1 in his draft class. Unfortunately, Giles suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during a game in 2015. That was his second major injury, as he had torn the ACL, MCL, and meniscus in his other knee during his freshman year in 2013. Giles was never the same player after those injuries.

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Giles missed all prestigious events due to his injury, including the McDonald’s All-American and the Jordan Classic. USA Today even wrote Giles “would have been the headliner of this group” if he stayed healthy. Giles’ draft value dropped immensely. He went from being projected as the first pick to getting drafted 20th in the 2017 NBA draft. Fans can only wonder how Harry Giles’ career would have been if he did not get injured. Hopefully, he can redeem himself by helping the Lakers reach the playoffs this season.