Sacramento Kings: 3 remaining storylines to keep an eye on in preseason
By Justin Fried
3. Harry Giles’ continued knee concerns
The Kings knew the chance they were taking when they traded for Harry Giles‘ draft rights on draft night in 2017. The former Duke standout was a highly-touted prospect but his numerous knee issues dating back to high school kept him from being selected earlier.
Giles suffered a torn ACL during his senior season and saw his collegiate career limited to just 26 games following numerous setbacks with his knee. But at No. 20 overall, the talent was clearly too good to pass up.
And after sitting out for the entirety of his “rookie” season, Giles returned seemingly to full health and became a valuable piece of the rotation by the time mid-season rolled around last year.
The Kings would shut him down late in the season due to a lingering thigh/quad ailment but the team was already eliminated from playoff contention by that point and simply wanted to err on the side of caution.
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However, Giles is yet to play in the preseason as he is once again dealing with knee soreness which is certainly concerning to both the Kings’ coaches and fans alike.
Head coach Luke Walton has seemingly indicated that the soreness is minor and that the team just doesn’t want to aggravate the issue. That said, any issues with his knee remain deeply concerning.
The hope is that he will be ready to go in two weeks when the team takes on the Suns to kick off the regular season. But this recent development certainly makes the Richaun Holmes signing all the more important.
Hopefully Giles is fine and will be available in time for the regular season, but his progress is definitely something to keep an eye on.