Harry Giles may not be a name that comes into the ROY talk, but the Kings forward has set the goal for himself now that he’s playing basketball again.
Giles, 20, is eligible for the award despite being drafted 20th in 2017 (due to his past injuries), and told B/R Mag’s David Gardner that he’s aiming for it:
“Rookie of the Year is my goal,” he says. “I’m not going to let it control me, but if I play my game, I believe it’ll come on its own.”
Giles, who has suffered three bad knee injuries during his career, also spoke about the downfalls of having to sit out:
“When you ain’t playing, everything changes,” he says. “A lot of people turn their back on you. Even people who said they believed in you no matter what. But when you’re not on the scene, you stop being so cool to be around. Even girls ain’t popping on your phone in the same way. That’s just the truth. It keeps me humble to this day knowing how quickly that fame can fade.”
In six games, he is averaging 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.7 minutes, as the Kings currently sit at 4-3.
