Harry Giles is considered by many to be the top incoming freshman in college basketball this season. Unfortunately, the 6’11 big man will be sidelined for six weeks after undergoing surgery on his left knee. Duke announced Monday afternoon that the arthroscopic procedure, that was performed by Dr. Claude T. Moorman, was successful.

Fans that are excited to see Giles in action will have to wait six weeks, until at least November 14th. That timetable means Giles will likely miss the Blue Devil’s opener against Marist on November 11th. Four days later, on November 15th, the Blue Devils face off against fellow blue blood Kansas at Madison Square Garden. If Giles recovers as expected this could be his first game as a Blue Devil. This early season top-5 matchup will set the tone for the entire season for both teams and Giles is a difference maker on both ends of the court. Even if Giles isn’t ready for Kansas the Blue Devils have the most complete roster in all of college basketball, featuring the like of Amile Jefferson, Jayson Tatum, and Marques Bolden in the frontcourt.

Giles has struggled with knee injuries throughout his entire career. In the summer following his high school freshman year, Giles tore the ACL, MCL and Meniscus in his left knee while playing for Team USA. About two and a half years later, Giles tore the ACL in his right knee during the first game of his senior season.

Giles is one of the top-ranked prospects for the 2017 NBA Draft, and has been for most of his high school career. However, some NBA executives may be hesitant to take the North Carolina native when big men with bad knees never last long in the NBA, just ask Greg Oden. If Giles wants to remain at the top of most teams’ draft boards, then he must avoid missing any more time this season and remind NBA scouts what his is capable of bringing to the table.