Harry Giles (USA 13) blocks Isaac Humphries of Australia, a Kentucky commit (Photo : Francois Nel | Getty Images Sport)
The Duke Blue Devils have one shot to win the title in 2016, powered by two top 5 prospects in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Since the college season ended with Villanova winning it all, the sports media networks have released their "too early top 25." The latest editions were based on the players that confirmed for the draft.
The big departure for Duke was Brandon Ingram, who eventually wound up with the LA Lakers being the 2nd overall pick (as expected). That sounds like a big loss for any team, but not for the Blue Devils as SB Nation still ranked them at the top.
This is because of Duke's strong recruiting class. As they lost a top 5 overall pick, they have two to replace him.
"Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum, two of the top three players in the class of 2016 according to any network which ranks that sort of thing, should be able to do more than enough to fill the hole left by Brandon Ingram's departure," Mike Rutherford stated.
If parity is an issue for the NBA, it does not even exist in College Basketball. The NBA scouts will follow Duke this season and the expectations are high in Durham. These two players could even be better than Ingram, if the ESPN Insider Chad Ford's notes are considered.
Harry Giles was the no.1 prospect in the 2016 Class for the past two years but he dropped to the 2nd spot because of his knee injury that prevented him from playing in his senior year. Nevertheless, many scouts believe he is young and strong enough to recover.
Ford noted that "you can't teach Giles' combination of size (6-foot-11, 7-foot-3 wingspan), athleticism, motor and overall feel for the game. He has Chris Webber-esque talent."
The comparison to Webber, one of the best college players ever, is a mighty compliment. The Fab Five leader is strong, quick and athletic. In his highlight video, Giles is seen with the usual dunks and blocks but he can also take opponents off the dribble.
Jayson Tatum is described by Ford as an "elite NBA wing, the same way guys like Rudy Gay and Harrison Barnes did. He has size, an NBA body, great athleticism and a refined midrange game."
Both Gay and Barnes were top prospects in their high school classes and are now accomplished NBA players (Barnes could get his big break now that he's out of the Warriors). Tatum has the potential to be as good or even better.
His game is described as "smooth but solid."
