Assisting Anthony Davis in his double duties was a concern for the Los Angeles Lakers recently. Till now, he was fulfilling both as a center and power forward alongside LeBron James. However, it seems the time is up for JJ Redick’s squad. Reportedly, the 31-year-old has “made it clear” that additional support is needed in the frontcourt. To share AD‘s burden, the purple and gold have 6’11” center Jaxon Hayes, who opted in for his player option. Reportedly, the first-round 8th pick from the 2019 draft class is expected to earn $2.46 million this season. However, another first-round pick could aid Anthony Davis around the paint—Harry Giles III.

The 20th pick from the 2017 NBA draft joined LeBron James and Co. in March this year. He came as a savior at that time. The roster icon Christian Wood, who was supporting the frontcourt with AD was not available because of knee inflammation since the All-Star break. However, they had to waive Dylan Windler to create a spot for the 6’10” forward. Yet Harry Giles III could not make an impact, averaging 0.3 points with the Lakers last season. So, the fame of the first-rounder is not widespread in the league. But it could be better next season, and it would be better to know about the potential icon before that.

Harry Giles III: Unmapped first-rounder yet to make his impact in the NBA

Harry Giles III was born on April 22, 1998, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. It is not yet available to us how he sailed through his childhood and relationship with his parents. But as he grew up, he joined Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, North Carolina. There, he developed his basketball skills under the guidance of Keith Gaitlin, one of the best players of the 1983 high school class. Unfortunately, he was not that impactful in his freshman and sophomore years as he faced knee issues. It surged later as he missed his whole sophomore year.

As his junior season of high school kicked off, Harry Giles III and his high school team, Wesleyan Trojans, clinched the No. 2 spot in USA Today’s national high school team rankings. It was a great year for Harry from a basketball point of view as in his second game after the injury recovery, he scored his career-high 38 points and put 19 boards. He played almost a full season and got to meet future NBA ballers during the fall of 2014. He went head to head against Jamal Murray and Thon Maker’s Orangeville Prep. Eventually, Harry Giles III and his high school made Prep bite the dust, ending on a close note, 78-75. The 26-year-old dished out 26 points and 14 rebounds in that game.

He also teamed up with his AAU team, later sponsored by Warriors’ star Chris Paul, which earned Harry his first-team All-EYBL honors. He raked up 18.2 points and 12 boards per game throughout the 16 games that he played at the EYBL.

Just before his senior season kickoff, Harry Giles III got recruited by powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. The senior season did not play out well for the forward, as he tore his right ACL during his first scrimmage. Later, since it did not get any better, he had to join Forest Trail Academy in North Carolina as a means to complete his senior year of high school. And it was high time for Harry to decide about his college preferences.

College journey and professional downfall of the five-star recruit currently not under any contract!

Giles committed to Duke University in November 2015, joining Duke Blue Devils with future NBA pros like Jayson Tatum, Marques Bolden, and Frank Jackson. In his freshman year, due to surgery that went through in October, he had to rest for about six weeks. His much-awaited debut came on December 9, 2016, as the Dukes won the game against Tennessee State. He appeared in various games across the NCAA and ACC Championship tournaments. Over his whole freshman year, he averaged just 3.9 ppg and 3.8 RPG. The most notable figure that he put on the scoreboard was his double-double against Georgia Tech.

At the end of all of it, he decided to enter the 2017 draft, ditching his three-year Duke collegiate eligibility. The Portland Trail Blazers picked him up in the first round. But later, the Sacramento Kings acquired his rights and signed a rookie 4-year $10.6 million contract. The performance was up to the mark from the forward, as he only put up 7 points and 6.9 points per game for his early two seasons. It was the period during which he recorded his career-best 20 points and 7 rebounds over the Hawks. Eventually, the Kings declined his player option for $4 million.

Over the next course of three years, Harry Giles III played for four different teams: Portland, Agua Caliente Clippers [LA Clippers’ G-League affiliate], Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers. The purple and gold jersey signed him after the Nets waived him in February. For now, Harry is a free agent who can aid the Lakers as bench strength since he averaged 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds with 50.8 FG% last season. But he only had 2.7 minutes on average to play with the Lakers for the rest of the last season. And it might get better, given the minutes for the 26-year-old forward increase on the court.