With the #17 and final pick in the Brew Hoop Community Draft you, the loyal Brew Hoop readers who have fueled this dumpster fire, select in a close race: Harry Giles - C, Duke.

Giles was a top-2 recruit in high school, but after struggling with serious knee injuries and multiple surgeries over the past two years he’s become increasingly enigmatic for NBA scouts and teams. He burst onto the USA Basketball scene at the ripe age of 14 and put up impressive numbers, but after tearing his ACL, MCL and Meniscus at a U16 tournament and recovering Giles tore his other ACL in the first game of his senior season. A subsequent minor knee surgery kept him sidelined for Duke’s first 11 games of their season. Even after his debut Giles looked rusty and not up to full speed on his underwhelming Duke squad as he struggled to play serious minutes or put up consistent numbers.

On a physical level Giles is a beautiful basketball specimen born to ball. At nearly 6’11” with a 7’3” wingspan and a 9’1” standing reach Giles’ body is a lengthy force to be reckoned with especially on defense. His low weight of 232 pounds will throw the same difficulties many of the big men we’ve discussed previously will face, but he’s barely 19 years old and his body looks poised to bulk up if he can focus his workouts on weight training as compared to rehabilitation. Giles’s physical tools are a primary reason he remained atop recruiting boards even amid his body’s brutal betrayal.

That body makes Giles a force on the defensive end when you combine it with an intensity and competitiveness that was severely lacking in our #16 selection Jarrett Allen. He’s a high motor player who uses his body with abandon on the defensive end. If that potential and intensity can be reigned in by refining his fundamentals and timing he’ll become an elite defender. His length makes him a skilled rim protector, putting up a 5.3 block rate for 2.3 blocks per 40. With increasing size Giles will body up better with big men, and he’s got a quickness that lets him stick with power forwards on the perimeter. Technically speaking, Giles can get low and shuffle to move around on defense with ease using his length to fill passing lanes and bother shooters.

His awareness and low basketball IQ are on display defensively as his years of rehab transformed valuable playing and learning time into off-court workouts. He needs to become a disciplined player and team-defense isn’t a concept he grasps firmly as help-defense is an evolving concept in his mind. Although he’s adept at switching in the pick and roll, other coverages need work and he doesn’t always know where to cover off the ball. In the Bucks defensive scheme he’ll be thrown into the fire, and a subpar IQ and feel for the game will make him a liability if he doesn’t learn quickly. He could be a force in the scheme as well if he grasps the scheme and his body allows it, and it’s fairly well known that Duke doesn’t consistently churn out defensive stoppers.

Giles has never been an explosive scorer or weaponized nuclear option, but he’s got some skills that are viable. His reach, extremely strong hands and agile athleticism make him an elite transition player who can get out ahead for an outlet pass. Diving to the rim or rim rolling alongside proficient passers utilizes his good hands and impressive finishing skills at the rim where he shot 71% on the season. Giles needs teammates to feed him the ball on the move or find him when he’s open due to a lack of post moves, below average footwork and ugly ball handling. He would use his speed and a quick move to attack in the post with a spin or hook shot inside and using mainly straight drives or mid-range jumpers from farther out.

He didn’t attempt any three-pointers on the season, but shot 42% on mid-rangers. He made only 50% of his free throws (on only 24 attempts), which was actually lower than DraftExpress’ data prior to college. His offensive game is lacking and it’s raw, but he can be useful if put in and found in the right situations. It needs a lot of refinement and expansion, but there’s a foundation to build upon. Years of rehab set Giles back physically but also mentally in a basketball sense and in a confidence sense. After being an all-world talent expected to dominate he worked through injuries and setbacks to get where he is today.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

His most NBA-ready skill is his rebounding. With his intensity and physicality Giles is an animal on the boards. Leaping and reaching for sky-high rebounds before most can snag them out of the air on both the offensive and defensive end, neutralizing any size advantage players may have over him. He put up a 16.5 offensive rebounding rate and a 21.6 defensive rebounding rate for averages of 5.5 and 7.9 per 40 respectively. His quick jump and vice grip mitts help him chase the ball down wherever it goes.

Giles looks a lot like Thon Maker physically and has some similarities to his game other than the shooting. Giles could be a good fit on the Bucks defensively if he can pick up the system and if the Bucks can help him develop his more basic defensive instincts and tactics. He doesn’t offer much floor spacing offensively, but his offensive game inside and on the move projects to be better than John Henson’s. The injuries Giles has recovered from are worrisome when looking at the explosiveness and athleticism that have been lost under the knife, but with Suki Hobson on staff that may alleviate some of that hand-wringing. She’s nursed Jabari Parker through his injuries, another one-and-done top recruit from Duke, and I’m sure the Bucks are confident she would be a crucial cog for Giles if he came to the Bucks.

Picking Giles aligns with the Bucks past history of shooting for the stars on draft picks. Before being marred with injuries Giles was projected to be a top pick, and a forgettable season at Duke revealed mere flashes of his potential. Giles is one of the highest-upside picks at #17, but multiple knee surgeries make him even more questionable than picking someone like Skal Labissiere late in the first like the Kings did last year.

The Brew Hoop Community has spoken, and, sadly, it seems more organized than the Bucks front office at the moment. It was touch and go there for a while, but we made it all the way to #17. We want to thank you all for coming along on this wild ride, giving us your input and voting throughout. Let us know your opinions on Giles and the entire BHC Draft Board as a whole. The draft is less than a week away so we’ll wait and see how close our groupthink comes to reality.

The 2017 Brew Hoop Draft Board

1. Markelle Fultz - PG, Washington - DraftExpress Profile
2. Lonzo Ball - PG, UCLA - DraftExpress Profile
3. Josh Jackson - SF, Kansas - DraftExpress Profile
4. De’Aaron Fox - PG, Kentucky - DraftExpress Profile
5. Jayson Tatum - SF, Duke - DraftExpress Profile
6. Malik Monk - SG, Kentucky - DraftExpress Profile
7. Jonathan Isaac - SF/PF, Florida State - DraftExpress Profile
8. Dennis Smith - PG, N.C. State - DraftExpress Profile
9. Frank Ntilikina - PG, Strasbourg - DraftExpress Profile
10. Lauri Markkanen - PF, Arizona - DraftExpress Profile
11. Zach Collins - PF/C, Gonzaga - DraftExpress Profile
12. Donovan Mitchell - G, Louisville - DraftExpress Profile
13. OG Anunoby - SF/PF, Indiana - DraftExpress Profile
14. Luke Kennard - SG, Duke - DraftExpress Profile
15. Justin Jackson - SF, UNC - DraftExpress Profile
16. Jarrett Allen - C, Texas - DraftExpress Profile
17. Harry Giles - C, Duke - DraftExpress Profile

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports