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Despite averaging just 3.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 11.5 minutes, Duke freshman forward Harry Giles will enter the NBA Draft and plans to stay in it, the school announced on Tuesday. The 6-foot-10 Giles had knee surgery before the season began, which prevented him from playing in the Blue Devils' first 11 games and slowed his progress.
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He also missed two seasons of high school basketball after suffering a torn ACL in each knee.
Despite all that, Giles is projected to be a first-round NBA draft pick. NBAdraft.net projects that he will be the 13th overall selection in this year's draft.
"Playing in the NBA has been my goal for as long as I can remember, and I'm so excited to take the next step in that journey," Giles said in a statement. "My time at Duke has been a dream come true. I've built so many strong relationships here. I have so many people to thank -- from my teammates and coaches to our medical staff and strength coach."
Giles plans to hire an agent.
"With his uplifting personality and love for the game, Harry Giles has been a joy to coach," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. "He is only beginning to scratch the surface of how good he can be on the basketball court. Harry has an exciting NBA future ahead of him and we are here to fully support him as a member of our brotherhood."
Also Tuesday, Duke announced that backup forward Sean Obi will transfer after the semester ends. He did not play this season, and he averaged just 2.7 minutes per game in 2015-16.
