Trio of Duke basketball stars ready to dethrone Los Angeles Lakers

A trio of former Duke basketball players is teaming up to try and dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers.

Duke basketball players always seem to gravitate towards each other, most notably in New Orleans, but a new crop of Blue Devils is coming together in the great Northwest.

Harry Giles is the latest Blue Devil to join the Portland Trail Blazers, joining Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood as the quest to dethrone the Los Angeles Lakers begins in the Western Conference.

After sitting out his first year in the NBA, continuing to rehab the knee injuries that have derailed his once-promising future, Giles played his last two seasons with the Sacramento Kings after the franchise drafted him with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

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The former No. 1 overall high school recruit played in a total of 104 games with the Kings in two seasons while averaging 7.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on 52.4 percent shooting from the field.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the agreement between Harry Giles and the Portland Trail Blazers on a one-year contract.

Portland is a great fit for the former Duke basketball star freshman

Harry Giles was done no favors by the previous and current regime of the Sacramento Kings, and now leaving for a stable franchise, the Trail Blazers could bring him the breath of fresh air he needs.

With a franchise that values the big man, Giles can now learn and play behind Jusuf Nurkic and Hassan Whiteside to try and develop himself over the 2020-21 season and look to potentially cash in during the 2021 offseason.

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Portland struggled in the 2019-20 regular season, but one season removed from an appearance in the Western Conference Finals, the team rallied in the NBA Bubble to reach the Western Conference Playoffs.

Harry Giles is hoping to reach the postseason for the first time in his career with the Trail Blazers.