‘Sacramento swag’: Could Harry Giles III be playing his final game in a Kings uniform?
TNT analyst Reggie Miller pointed out the play of Kings center Harry Giles III on a number of occasions during Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Others around the NBA might have noticed, too.
The vision, creativity and pinpoint passes are impossible to miss. Giles also demonstrated effectiveness in the pick and roll, an ability to finish with finesse or with force, and the infectious personality that helped him become one of the most beloved players in the franchise’s recent history.
These are qualities Giles might exhibit in a Kings uniform for the final time when Sacramento concludes this ill-fated season against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday in the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World Resort. Back in October, Kings general manager Vlade Divac declined the team’s fourth-year option on Giles for $3.97 million, so he will become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
The Kings selected Giles out of Duke with the 20th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He sat out his first season to rehab knee injuries and has been in and out of the rotation over the past two seasons, but he has developed an absolute love affair with the city.
Giles grows so emotional when talking about the possibility of leaving Sacramento his voice sometimes quivers. He has tried to suppress those emotions in order to remain focused in the bubble, but he couldn’t hide his feelings in a lengthy interview with Carmichael Dave on Sports 1140 KHTK before seeding games began.
“It’s like, wow, this is where I started it,” Giles said. “This is where I watched myself grow in this city and I grew. I grew every year and it was just amazing how many people I’ve met in this city. Like I told you earlier, it’s like home, so you know how it is being comfortable at home, how it is going home, that’s how I feel. Every time I got out in the city, it’s love. My friends, when they go, there’s love. It’s different when they accept your people, too, just with open arms, even all my boys. They can go anywhere without me. They feel like they’re at home, too, and my mom as well, so that’s what makes me feel like, wow, it’s incredible.
“It’s tough. I always think about it. Even during the games you think about it. That’s why I was so crazy about how the season (was postponed), too, but at the same time it’s like, man, I just want to focus on these eight games first because if you start thinking about that too much it might throw you off, especially when you love something so much you don’t want to lose it.”
Can the Kings re-sign Giles?
The Kings can try to bring Giles back next season, but under the collective bargaining agreement they can offer no more than $3.97 million in the first year of a new deal with 8% annual raises. Other teams will be able to offer more money.
It’s unclear how much Giles will command on the open market given his injury history and the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Few teams will have significant cap space when free agency begins Oct. 18, but any team with a mid-level exception could easily outbid the Kings.
Giles has had a couple of opportunities to showcase his skills during the NBA restart. He logged significant minutes in two of Sacramento’s first seven games in the bubble.
Giles had 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds in 20 minutes in a 132-116 loss to the Orlando Magic on Aug. 2. After the game, he was asked about the idea of auditioning for other teams ahead of free agency.
“I’m just doing what I have to do,” Giles said. “Taking care of my business and putting forth my best effort and just seeing what the outcome is going to be.”
Giles said his effort that night had more to do with pride after the Kings fell behind by as many as 36 points.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Giles said. “That’s me too. In my situation, that’s what I have to do anyways. Come off the bench and show pride. When we’re down, lacking energy, lacking some swag, not really being ourselves right now, it’s for guys like me who come in and provide energy and have been around for those last three years to come in and put some Sacramento swag on it.”
Giles had 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in Tuesday’s 112-106 win over the Pelicans. However, he made just 6 of 17 field-goal attempts and struggled defensively against Jahlil Okafor, another pending free agent who made 9 of 11 from the field to finish with 21 points.
Kings coach Luke Walton has praised Giles since the team arrived in the bubble.
“Harry’s been one of our better players throughout camp,” Walton said. “I think Harry did a really nice job of showing up here in Orlando in game shape and ready to compete.”
‘We have trust in him’
Giles missed most of training camp and the start of the season due to knee soreness, costing himself valuable preparation time with a new coaching staff. He was inactive for the first eight games and appeared in only seven of the first 32 contests.
“When we came into the original training camp, he wasn’t even able to play for the first month or whatever that was,” Walton said. “So as a new staff, we didn’t really have a lot of chance to see him, and by the time he was ready we had rotations and everything else going. So as the year’s gone on, we’ve gotten to know Harry and we have trust in him.”
Giles has bristled at the notion he didn’t work hard enough last summer and showed up to training camp out of shape, but he hasn’t addressed the issue directly.
“Last summer was last summer,” he said. “Things happened. Some things were said. Things happened, not necessarily what might have happened. I’ve just got to come in ready and worry about what’s going on right now.”
Is this the last time Sacramento will see Giles in a Kings jersey?
Other teams will determine his market value. The Kings must decide how he fits rotationally for a team with bit of a logjam at his position. They also have Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley III and Alex Len, although Bagley hasn’t been healthy and Len will be an unrestricted free agent as well.
Walton said the NBA restart has given Giles a good opportunity to show what he can do.
“It’s been great for him,” Walton said. “When Harry’s healthy and he’s in shape and he’s able to be out there and practice with us consistently, he’s a very talented basketball player. It’s been great to see that for an extended period of time since we didn’t have him during the preseason this year, and he was impressive. He looks good. He’s in shape. He plays with his emotion, which I think his teammates and the coaching staff, we appreciate, but he also has to learn to control them at certain times. Overall, I thought he’s been very solid here in the bubble.”
Kings schedule/results
Spurs 129, Kings 120
Magic 132, Kings 116
Mavericks 114, Kings 110 (OT)
Kings 140, Pelicans 125
Nets 116, Kings 103
Rockets 129, Kings 112
Kings 112, Pelicans, 106
Aug. 13 vs. Lakers, 10:30 a.m. (NBCS)
This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
