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SACRAMENTO – It will be a Blue Devil party on Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center.
Not one, not two, but three Duke players are preparing for the first time to play on NBA ground in the regular season, including two of the Sacramento Kings and one of Utah Jazz.
"It's a bunch of brothers in the NBA," said Harry Giles III at the end of Tuesday's training. "We are going from college as brothers together, to league."
Giles missed his rookie season last year and is finally ready to debut after rehabilitating his knees and building his body. He will see time with Duke's great man, Marvin Bagley III, on the Kings' front line, giving Sacramento an athletic duo up front in the foreseeable future.
The overlap between Giles and Bagley in Durham, NS was that of goalkeeper Grayson Allen. Selected by Jazz with the 21st overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Allen is the oldest statesman in the group at 23. He has spent four seasons working with coach Mike Krzyzewski with the Blue Devils and is looking forward to seeing his former teammates.
"More teams than no will have guys from Duke – that 's a little crazy, and a lot of guys I' ve played with – I'll see this often throughout. year, "Allen said.
Allen spent last season watching Bagley go crazy in the ACC. The Kings rookie recorded 21 points and 11.1 rebounds per game for Duke, who finished the season with a 29-8 record.
The previous season, Allen had seen Giles join the Kings and suffer another setback in his long recovery after being backed by ACL bilateral tears.
"He's incredibly tough mentally, and you have to do what he's done: stay a confident basketball player after so many injuries and setbacks," Allen told NBC Sports California during the shootout on Wednesday. "I felt really good for him when he was at Duke because during the summer, he was better, we could see what he could do, then there was something else that happened. Forced to undergo a small procedure or something minor. "
Both Bagley and Giles left Allen with intense memories, but Giles' difficulties and perseverance were noted by the team captain.
"I'm really happy to see him now, last game of the pre-season in which we faced him, I can say that he is comfortable and confident to be able to move "said Allen. "He comes back to himself. It's great for me to see because I know how good it can be. You see flashes of potential all the time, where you know he's a special and talented basketball player. It's really cool, and you know that a guy who has gone through this kind of trip has more mental toughness than almost everyone else. "
When the balloon is in the air, it will be the business of three players. They come from one of the best NCAA basketball programs in the country and have been taught by a legendary coach.
The trip for everyone is unique. Bagley is the blue shredder trying to make waves after being selected with the No. 2 overall selection this summer. Allen is the graying veterinarian after playing four full seasons at Duke, and Giles is the returning kid, who is trying to prove he's back after being injured by injuries over the last three years.
"It's going to be exciting," Bagley said Monday. "The preseason is over – it's officially the beginning of our NBA career."
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