Kings' Harry Giles makes most of opportunity after extended absence

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There was a time when Harry Giles was considered a big part of the Sacramento Kings' young core. His picture was on the side of Golden 1 Center, and he and Marvin Bagley were thought to be the frontline of the future.

A rough summer altered the trajectory of his path in Sacramento, but he’s worked to stay ready in hopes of getting an opportunity. On Sunday evening in Denver, Giles was thrown back into the rotation for coach Luke Walton’s squad and he didn’t disappoint.

“I thought Harry gave us some pretty nice minutes off the bench,” Walton told reporters following the Kings’ 120-115 loss to the Nuggets. “It’s what we talk about with our guys - stay ready because opportunity will come, and his opportunity came tonight and he proved that he was ready.”

In 17 minutes of action, the 21-year-old big dropped in 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and going 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. He added three rebounds, three assists and a block.

Coming into Sunday, Giles played a total of just 52 minutes over seven games this season and he hadn’t seen the court since Nov. 27, a stretch of 15 straight healthy scratches.

“It’s been tough just because I’m a competitor too and I show up every day and I work,” Giles told reporters. “And I don’t get to play, you’re losing too. I want to be part of it. I want to help win. It’s just tough.”

For a fiery competitor like Giles, waiting on the bench has been excruciating. He had issues with his surgically repaired left knee after the first day of training camp and missed all of the preseason.

Giles wasn’t cleared to resume play until after the Kings were already eight games into the regular season, which isn’t ideal when dealing with a new training staff and a new system.

By the time Giles was ready to contribute, Walton had already moved to a rotation of players that he had become familiar with. Without real practice time, it was difficult to integrate Giles back into the system.

“For me, it’s just knowing my big picture and staying patient and staying ready,” Giles said. “I know what I can do on the court and when the opportunity was given, I showed it.”

The Kings don’t have another big like Giles. He is one of the best passers on the team and he has the ability to run the high-post offense. With him in the game on Sunday, the spacing opened up and the ball moved all over the court.

Passing is contagious. For one of the few times during the Kings’ recent losing streak, the ball moved all over the court. Sacramento finished the game with 32 assists and just 12 turnovers as they kept pace with one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

It wasn’t all on Giles, but when he was on the court, he was active, set clean picks and didn’t force the action. 

Walton used Giles primarily at the five and he did his best to keep both Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee away from the rim, despite a sizeable weight disadvantage. He picked up five fouls, but that is to be expected after an extended layoff.

A huge fan favorite, supporters have flooded social media over the last few days demanding Giles play with Bagley back on the shelf with a foot injury.

“The fan support has been amazing for me, kind of kept me going,” Giles said.

Walton hinted on Saturday that Giles might see time against the Nuggets and the fan reaction was overwhelmingly positive. After a strong performance, the 6-foot-10 big has likely earned another look when the Kings face the Clippers Tuesday in Sacramento.

Sacramento’s front office decided not to pick up the fourth-year option on Giles’ contract for next season, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

[RELATED: Dedmon wants out; Kings testing market for veteran center]

Team sources say that they still love Giles and will continue to work to develop the third-year pro, but they are now limited in what they can offer this summer and have no right of first refusal on a competing contract.

In whatever time Giles gets over the final 50 games of the season, he is showcasing his skills for all 30 teams in the NBA.

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