Knicks under the radar target: Harry Giles
It’s not often that a 22-year-old with raw talent hits the open market after only three seasons in the league, but with Sacramento declining his fourth year option, Harry Giles will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The 6-foot-11 big man is someone several teams are monitoring as a buy-low player with upside. While injuries have slowed his development since he was a top recruit out of high school, it is still tantalizing to think about what he could become as a healthy player.
In writing about the Knicks’ offseason plans, a lot of focus, and rightfully so, has been on how the team should fill areas of obvious need, such as perimeter shooting and playmaking. But that doesn’t mean the front office should only focus on players who fit a certain profile.
Adding a young player like Giles would be an investment in talent. The Knicks still need that. A good front office knows how to identify undervalued assets and turn them into productive pieces.
The Knicks have tried to do this in the past with reclamation projects such as Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke. Perhaps their new decision makers will have better luck identifying players on the cusp of breaking out. Not to mention, it helps actually investing in a staff of development coaches, which the Knicks are starting to do.
Giles showed flashes of what he can offer this past February when he averaged 22 minutes per game, looking healthy and athletic, while scoring over 11 points per game with a .649 true shooting percentage. If the Knicks can bottle up his potential on a reasonable contract, it could reap a great reward.