Portland Trail Blazers: Harry Giles explains his decision to sign with the Blazers

Harry Giles’ one-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers could end up being one of 2021’s great bargains. Yesterday, he explained what motivated him to sign in Portland.

Three summers ago, the Portland Trail Blazers entered the 2017 NBA Draft with the No. 15 and No. 20 selection, seeking out key rotation pieces to solidify their frontcourt.

With that latter pick, they stumbled upon and ultimately selected a player by the name of Harry Giles III. Though they went on to trade him some odd hours later, one could argue the seeds for a connection were planted that day.

Earlier this week, the transition finally came full circle, with Giles signing a one-year deal with Portland.

Giles’ on-court profile has been detailed — Sacramento relied on his excellent, pinpoint passing to create consistent offense just inside the arc, and he’s shown potential as a weak side shot blocker. But in his first press conference as a Blazer, fans got the opportunity to learn more about Harry Giles the person. In turn, Giles explained his rationale behind inking his deal in Rip City.

"“There’s so many guys I can learn from, the coaches, and it’s just a great thing seeing the guys play in the bubble, too. It was motivating. It was great to see how they played together and how, even the bench, everybody was like all in one.I stayed in the same hotel as Portland in the bubble too, and I just saw how they were, you know, gathering up all the time, meeting as a team. You know, little stuff like that. It’s just cool to know you’re going to a place like that where I got to see it with my own eyes from another perspective. Like I said, I’m here and I’m happy.”"

That was just in one question from Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl. But Giles reiterated time-and-time again his desire to play alongside seasoned veterans that he could learn from. Talent gap notwithstanding, the Blazers’ top-shelf players have been mainstays in the NBA for quite some time, whereas Sacramento’s premier talent has some establishing to do.

That figures to do Giles’ game wonders, since he already has the athletic specs down. It has the potential to be a strong fit right away. Portland as a team didn’t pass the ball often — their 243.4 passes per game and 20.6 assists ranked dead last in the NBA. But when they did dime-drop, it often came as a product of their bigs’ court vision and accuracy.

As a case in point: only 29 centers made at least 30 passes per game in 2019-20. Both Nurkic (47.6) and Whiteside (32.5) made the list, with Zach Collins not too far behind. Giles struggled to get consistent minutes, but the tape showcases this as arguably his most redeemable skill. He mentioned that part of his game in the presser as well. Here’s how it looked in Sac-Town.

For those interested in the full presser, it is accessible through this link, or on the official YouTube channel of the Portland Trail Blazers.