Harry Giles to Duke: Blue Devils Land 5-Star PF Prospect

Harry Giles' basketball career is on hold, at least for the time being, but the 5-star power forward sorted out his future Friday. Giles announced he has committed to Duke, according to SportsCenter. 

"I felt like Duke was the place for me," Giles said, per Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader. "Every time I go to Duke, it feels like home. ... I just felt most comfortable there."

This is a bit of a bittersweet week for Giles. Before signalling his intention to join the Blue Devils, his father, Harry Giles Jr., announced he had a "partially torn" ACL, per ESPN.com's Paul Biancardi.

This is the second major knee injury Giles has suffered after he tore his ACL and MCL in 2013.

Despite those setbacks, DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony believes Giles can still maintain his place atop the 2017 NBA draft board:

According to 247Sports, Giles is the No. 1 power forward and No. 2 player overall in 2016.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello noted Duke is the first team since 2007 to land the top two prospects in ESPN's class, with the Blue Devils also having snagged small forward Jayson Tatum. Borzello also added Giles' decision made Duke's 2016 class the top in the country. 

Giles isn't universally considered the most talented player in the 2016 class, but it's pretty close—at least before the injury. ESPN put him at the top of its list, with national director of recruiting Biancardi explaining the reasoning behind the decision to USA Today's Matt Schneidman:

"

It’s just Harry dominates the game in more categories than anybody else. They all dominate the game in different ways, but it seems like Harry just continues to add to his game and he can dominate in the paint, at the rim, just enough to keep you honest on the outside so he wins it by a nose but it was close because [Jayson] Tatum is in our minds the best player when it comes to halfcourt offense.

"

You can't find too many flaws in Giles' game. His shooting could improve a bit, but you almost never see somebody 6'10" arrive at college with a fully refined mid-range game.

Giles might also become somewhat of a liability on the defensive end in the paint, but opposing teams aren't going to score on him at will.

What is so intriguing about Giles is his almost freakish combination of size, athleticism and finesse. Giles is as adept inside crashing the boards as he is handling the ball outside the paint.

Bleacher Report put together a highlight reel of Giles in November 2014 to show off his game:

It's impossible to predict how Giles will recover from his second major knee injury.

He worked incredibly hard to be one of the best high school players following that 2013 injury, but Derrick Rose is evidence as to how much damage multiple knee injuries can inflict on even the most talented stars.

However, there are reasons to be optimistic about Giles' future.

For one, he's still young. Even if he needs a year or two in order to fully recuperate, his developmental trajectory won't be thrown too out of order.

In addition, ESPN's Jeff Goodman pointed to two aspects of Giles' second injury that offer some encouragement:

Giles may end up having a Duke career similar to that of Kyrie Irving: the talent isn't in question, but health issues prevent him from truly hitting his ceiling before he heads to the NBA.