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The Boston Globe held their third annual NBA Beat Writers Mock Draft today, and Brew Hoop was lucky enough to be invited to represent the Milwaukee Bucks and the 17th overall selection.
With that pick, we stuck to our guns from the SB Nation Mock Draft and the Brew Hoop Community Mock Draft, and went with Harry Giles out of Duke University. My quick take:
The Bucks have one of the more low-key crucial offseasons in recent memory. So why gamble on an injury risk like Giles? Well, the versatility he flashes on defense, the motor he exhibits on both ends, and his impressive length would be a great pairing with prospective center-of-the-future Thon Maker and future-everything Giannis Antetokounmpo. If Giles can play, that is.
Not everyone would be thrilled about the selection, and that’s more than understandable. Giles did not play very much at Duke, and he didn’t provide a huge punch when he did play. Additionally, he Bucks already have a significant investment in an oft-injured former Blue Devil with Jabari Parker, and while Bucks’ Head of Strength & Conditioning Suki Hobson already returned Parker to peak condition once, juggling Jabari’s second rehab alongside the physical development of Harry Giles is quite the task for the Bucks’ medical staff.
So there’s the downside: Giles hasn’t actually produced very much, and very well might not be available enough to play minutes. Now for the upside: he’s exactly the type of low-usage/high-energy big man that fits well with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Parker, and Khris Middleton. He has a chance to be what we all hoped Miles Plumlee might become, which isn’t bad in the middle of the first round. If Thon Maker continues to develop, the Bucks will have two rangy centers to execute their movement-heavy defense. And whether Greg Monroe and/or Spencer Hawes stay or go, no rookie available at #17 is going to be able to contribute immediately, so why not take a huge swing at someone who might really pay off?
Be sure to check out the entire mock draft here, and thanks again to the Boston Globe for putting this all together. Be sure to let them know what you think, and leave us a comment while you’re at it!