NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Package deals are all the rage in college basketball, and Duke is on the verge of topping the best package deal ever (Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones) with what might just be an even better one.
Harry Giles watched Jayson Tatum commit to Duke on Sunday at the Peach Jam, and the smart money would be on the best big man in the class eventually joining the best wing in pursuit of Duke's next national title.
This is not the Okafor-Jones model. That was the package deal du jour. Those two took their visits together. They decided together. They were finishing each other's sentences by the end of that recruitment. They even announced their decision on the same day at the same time.
Giles is making his decision independently of Tatum, but let's lay the cards out real quick for any team recruiting against Duke in the Giles sweepstakes.
1. Duke now has his best friend. Similar to that USA Basketball-born arrangement that led to Okafor-Jones, Tatum and Giles have played three straight summers for USA Basketball. They've roomed together and there have been conversations about going to the same school.
"We talk about it," Giles said this past weekend at Peach Jam. "We like to play together so you can't go wrong trying to do it in college too."
"It could happen," Tatum told Bleacher Report two days before his verbal commitment to Duke. "We definitely have talked about it. We enjoy being around each other and playing together. He's a great player and person. If it works itself out, then great."
2. Duke is just over an hour drive from the big fella's hometown of Winston-Salem. Wake Forest is in town, but Danny Manning doesn't have...
3. The best roster in the country if Giles joins Tatum. Duke will be the favorite to win the 2017 national title pretty much no matter what happens from now until the start of the 2016-17 season.
Best-case scenario, everyone returns for Duke, which is within reason, and that roster might just break the hype machine.
Just look at this depth chart:
That would give Coach K the roster flexibility to play big with a traditional starting lineup that includes Jeter and Giles, or he could use the small-ball attack he's come to love with Tatum or Ingram—both are 6'8"—sliding to the 4. Tatum is a strong enough ball-handler that he could even slide over to the 2 to give Duke an uber-big lineup.
The Blue Devils would not only be incredibly hard to guard, they could have one of the best defenses in the country as well. Unlike Okafor, Giles is a weapon on both ends. He's more of a new-age big man in that he's quick enough to switch on perimeter players. With the size and quickness that roster would have, you could see Duke playing like Kentucky did last season with the ability to switch ball screens and make finding a good look inside or out a real chore.
Worst-case scenario, Duke loses Ingram, Thornton and Allen to the NBA in 2016. Even without those three, Coach K is likely to still have the best talent in America and a roster that could play multiple styles. He has a lot to sell to Giles, and Duke was already considered the favorite before Tatum even committed.
So, to the other pursuers of Giles: Good luck.
The Best of Peach Jam
The Nike circuit has the best wealth of talent in grassroots basketball, and here are some guys who stood out in my four days at the event.
Top-five players
1. Jayson Tatum, St. Louis Eagles: I'm in the minority picking Tatum over Giles, but I would take Tatum if I were picking a guy to build a college team around. All you have to do is figure out a way to give him some space and he'll get buckets. He's great getting to the basket and scoring around the rim. Good luck if he's driving downhill, as he knows how to work angles and avoid charges.
If you try to sag off of him, he can pull up and hit a mid-range jumper. He would be the best mid-range shooter in college basketball right now. His only weakness is he's not a great three-point shooter, but his stroke is fine and that's something that you can probably bank on improving over the next few years.
2. Harry Giles, Team CP3: The athleticism and versatility at 6'10" is what makes Giles so special. He is really quick and big men have no chance when he faces up and attacks off the dribble. His jumper is reliable enough that you have to respect him, even beyond the arc. He can also finish with both hands around the rim. Defensively, he can guard just about any spot on the floor and he's an excellent rebounder with promising instincts for tracking the ball. Giles will be a double-double machine on the college level.
3. De'Aaron Fox, Houston Hoops: Fox, at 6'4", is a big point guard who fits in the John Wall/Derrick Rose/Russell Westbrook category. I'm not saying he's going to be on the same level as any of those guys, but he has those kind of jets with the ability to overpower point guards and finish over bigs at the rim.
Fox is also a lefty, which makes him even harder to guard. His jumper is inconsistent, but he can knock down the occasional three. When his pull-up J is falling, he's unguardable.
4. Malik Monk, Arkansas Wings: Monk is an old-school scoring guard. He's not the type of player advanced statisticians will love, because he takes a lot of shots, particularly a lot of tough shots. When he's on, however, he's unstoppable because the lift on his jumper allows him to shoot pretty much whenever he pleases.
What bears watching with Monk is whether he changes his approach in college. You could justify his shot selection on the grassroots level in that he needs to score for his team to win, and since he's the focal point of every defense, non-contested shots are rare. He could be a really potent (and efficient) scorer on a talented team if he was willing to be more judicious with his shot selection.
5. Miles Bridges, The Family: Bridges is a tough guy to evaluate because you have to consider whether his domination at this level is based off the fact that he's stronger than everyone else or if it's a combination of that and skill. Bridges is a thick 6'7" and a freight train with the ball in his hands, so it's really no contest when high school guys try to stop him.
He's the type of player who has small forward skills but would do himself a favor if he was willing to play a small-ball 4 in college. Think Justise Winslow (at Duke) or Draymond Green with the Golden State Warriors. His numbers and value would increase as a 4, because he's at his best in attack mode—playing power forward lends itself to favorable matchups to go at off the bounce—and he would be more valuable guarding power forwards than trying to keep up with perimeter players.
If Bridges embraces that kind of role, he could be a great college player.
Highest Ceiling
Marvin Bagley III (2018), We All Can Go (U16): The fact that Bagley is so young—he just finished his freshman year—certainly helps his case. An argument could be made here for Tatum, Giles, Mohammed Bamba (he has a 7'8" wingspan!) or Michael Porter, but even if Bagley were older, he might still be the pick.
Bagley dominated the under-16 tournament at Peach Jam, averaging 25.4 points and 14.8 rebounds. I'd share more about why his ceiling is so high, but I'll be writing more on him soon, so just consider this a sneak peek.
Best Shooters
Monk: It's rare to see a guy with lift, perfect form and great balance on his J. Monk is not just a scorer, he's a great shooter as well.
Markus Howard (2017), Las Vegas Prospects: Howard is extremely consistent with his jumper because every shot looks the same. There aren't a lot of moving parts. He's only 5'11" and he's not all that quick, but his jumper has a lot of big schools after him.
Myles Powell, NJ Playaz: I saw Powell catch fire one game and hit a couple shots along the sideline fading away out of bounds. He's a streaky shooter with a quick trigger, and when he's hot, you can't give him an inch.
Best Pure Point Guards
Ty Jerome, PSA Cardinals: Jerome is committed to Virginia and he'll be a great fit there. He's not that quick, but he makes up for it with his handle and savviness with the ball. It's rare to see high school point guards who can throw one-handed passes off the bounce on time and on target. Jerome can do it with both hands. He also has a nice jumper and decent floater game.
He's one of the best two passers I saw this weekend, and his feel and IQ is advanced for his age. Tony Bennett is getting a good one.
Cassius Winston, The Family: Winston is another guy who isn't super quick but makes up for it with his feel. He's really clever with the basketball in his hands and has great vision, seeing plays develop before anyone else does.
Best Shot Blocker
Ikechukwu Obiagu (2017), Georgia Stars (U16): Obiagu played in the under-16 division, but he was undoubtedly the best shot-blocker on either level. He averaged 7.0 blocks per game at Peach Jam, registering 12 blocks in one game and 11 in another.
The 7-footer has great timing and instincts as a shot-blocker, which is incredible when you consider that he started playing basketball in August 2013 when he came over to the United States from Nigeria. Obiagu said what helped him was he grew up playing volleyball.
Obiagu doesn't do much on the offensive end. You could label him "raw," but right away in college, he'll be an elite rim protector. He said he already has 14 offers, including Kansas, Virginia, Texas and Butler.
Best Dunkers
Javonte Smart (2018), Elfrid Payton Elite: Smart had the dunk of the tournament, jumping off one foot in transition and throwing it down with one hand on top of the poor kid who tried to contest him at the rim. He has a chance to be a star down the road.
Bridges: He's a power dunker that will put you on a poster if you get in his way.
Most Underrated
Davion Mitchell (2017), Georgia Stars (U16): Mitchell is a slashing point guard who finds a way to get to the rim when his team needs a bucket. He told Bleacher Report he's getting recruited hardest by Auburn, Georgia, Tulane, Memphis, SMU, Cincinnati and Florida International.
Based on what I saw from Mitchell, I bet more big-name schools get involved soon.
Jared Harper, Georgia Stars: This is why we should bet on Bruce Pearl succeeding at Auburn. He has an unranked point guard commitment from a guy who put up 34 points in the championship game of the Peach Jam. Harper doesn't look like much, but the skinny little guard is quick and he can shoot.
Remy Martin (2017), Oakland Soldiers: Martin is considered a 3-star recruit by all the big recruiting services (ESPN, Scout, Rivals and 247Sports), but the point guard I watched at Peach Jam was not a 3-star guy. Martin is a pit bull with the ball. You're not taking it from him, and he gets where he wants to go. He also has a nice jumper and is a solid passer. I'll bet he gets another star next to his name by the end of the summer.
Kassoum Yakwe, PSA Cardinals: Yakwe showed he has more to his game than just leaping ability in the Cardinals' overtime loss in the quarterfinals of Peach Jam. He scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting, throwing in several jump hooks and even knocking down a 15-foot jumper. He also had one of the best tip-ins I've ever seen, jumping from underneath the backboard and tapping in a ball that fell off the front of the rim with his left hand.
Yakwe will be a good shot-blocker and rebounder at the college level. He's long and can get off the floor really quick, but if what I saw wasn't a fluke, he'll be a guy who you can throw it to in the post as well.
C.J. Moore covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @CJMooreBR.