Harry Giles didn’t want to get too emotional at the time. “ It was crazy. I wanted to cry when I heard the news, but I was surrounded by so many people and I kept lifting weights. I tried to concentrate on my training. I was sweating a lot, I tried to get through the day “, describes the interior of Brooklyn.
The news in question is that he now has his place in the Nets squad for the coming season. Once back in his room that day, he hurried to call his mother.
“ Does it still affect you? ”, she asked him. The person said no, that he still felt like he was in training camp trying to prove himself to make the team. “ It’s a good thing: it keeps me in that state of mind. But I’m happy to be here, it’s great », Qualifies the former Kings and Blazers player.
Ten days earlier, the 25-year-old had signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Brooklyn franchise, a banal invitation to “training camp” in short. The 20th choice of the 2017 Draft, who averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds in pre-season, over two games (with 16 minutes on average), showed enough to convince Sean Marks to keep him.
“ It’s a great feeling. A little weight off my shoulders, I’ll probably never relax, but I’m starting to feel comfortable in my workplace, preparing for the year knowing I’ll be there. I’m satisfied », he still enthuses.
Finding a “new spark”
This contract is that of the hope of relaunching a career since the beginning of which he has not been spared from injuries. After his rookie season played with the Kings (58 games), he continued with seasons of 46, then 38 games played. His last NBA game dates back to May 2021 and a tiny part of the playoffs played with the Blazers. He subsequently underwent several knee operations.
His coach Jacque Vaughn believed that his arrival generated a “ general awareness » internally: “ It sends a message to our other guys: ‘Don’t take this for granted.’ »
His interior, used as a relay for Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe, believes he has changed his approach since his first steps in the league. “ You arrive young and fresh, very coveted, I don’t like to say that there are more guarantees, but that’s kind of the case. You have more opportunities to get noticed. Then you get older, you deal with certain things, injuries and all that attention, that notoriety, dies away. », Analyzes Harry Giles.
The latter, at this stage of his career, believes that “ you have to find a way to get a new spark. So I’m glad my spark never went out. We have to continue to work hard and move forward. »
