Duke Basketball: Harry Giles makes debut versus Tennessee State
Duke basketball struggled against Tennessee State, but Harry Giles made his college debut.
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After missing the first 11 games of the season and dealing with questions regarding if he was even going to play at all this season, five-star freshman Harry Giles made his long awaited college debut on Monday night at the Cameron Indoor Center.
Giles played four minutes in the middle of the first half against Tennessee State. He took one shot (a jumper from the right elbow), scored zero points and looked very unsure of himself on both ends of the floor.
“First game, that was just shaking the rust off and getting the kinks out,” Giles said, according to the Associated Press. “I think each day, each game, each practice, I’ll get better.”
Giles clearly wasn’t in tip-top game shape heading into Monday night, but it was a good opportunity for him to receive some live action before ACC play begins at the end of the month. He has a long way to go, so Duke will likely be cautious with him until his conditioning is up to speed and he feels comfortable mentally.
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The goal should be to have Giles’ explosiveness, elite athleticism and mental toughness back for March Madness at the latest. The conference schedule obviously matters for seeding purposes, but Duke has enough talent to win the league even without Giles playing at his full capability.
While Giles’ debut overshadowed everything, Duke had their fair share of struggles with Tennessee State on Monday night. The Tigers had a five-point lead in the opening half and only trailed by four points at the break. Dana Ford’s team played terrific on-ball defense (forcing the Blue Devils to take shots from the perimeter) and slowed the pace down on offense.
The Tigers also played with more energy and confidence out of the gate, while Duke was lackadaisical and looked like a top five team that was just coming off final exams.
Despite missing quality looks (they shot 37 percent from the field and 33 percent from the three point line) and uncharacteristically missing 13 free throws, the Blue Devils pulled away in the second half.
How? Luke Kennard exploded. The team’s leading scorer was once again Duke’s best player on Monday night. He scored 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting (3-of-5 from three) and went 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He knocked down multiple clutch 3’s in the second half and showed his ability to attack off the bounce.
Jayson Tatum was also terrific in the second frame. He was featured heavily on the offensive end, posting up from the elbow and hitting two long 3-pointers. The freshman finished with 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.
It wasn’t the prettiest win by the Blue Devils, but they still were still able to pull out a 20-point victory. Plus, getting Giles back on the floor is a win in and of itself.
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