The Charlotte Hornets were in desperate need of a dependable center this off season. This has been an issue for them for the last five seasons, at least. Cody Zeller did not fit the bill.
With Zeller going to the Portland Trail Blazers and Bismack Biyombo a restricted free agent, Charlotte, in a pre-draft day trade, acquired Mason Plumlee from the Detroit Pistons. He is expected to start the season as Charlotte’s first string center.
In addition to Plumlee, Charlotte wanted to go with a youth movement at their center spot. They traded up in the 2021 NBA draft and selected forward/center Kai Jones out of Texas. They are also relying on the services of Vernon Carey and Nick Richards, who are both second year players.
Plumlee is being used as a bridge big man until Carey and Richards are ready to play significant minutes. General Manager Mitch Kupchak stated he wants the young centers to develop and not have a veteran center on a large contract.
However, things may change if the Hornets find themselves fighting to get into the playoffs and begin to struggle in the center spot. Here are 4 big men that are still available, who could provide depth.
1. Bismak Biyombo, age 29 – Still a free agent, Bismak Biyombo could find himself back in the mix with the Hornets for his third tour of duty with the organization. He has been with Charlotte for the past three years and knows the system. Biyombo does not have many other suitors.
Biyombo’s offensive game has never really panned out, but he has been strong on defense and rebounding the basketball. Over the past three campaigns, Charlotte has needed him due to their other big men getting injured, but he was never really the answer for them.
As a veteran, he took the younger players under his wing last season, especially rookie point guard LaMelo Ball. He could do similar things with the younger players this time round.
2. DeMarcus Cousins, age 31 – Despite his best days being behind him, DeMarcus Cousins can still provide depth, leadership and scoring punch off the bench. Since having a devastating Achilles injury four seasons ago, he has not been the same caliber of player that he was when playing for the Sacramento Kings.
Cousins has had a substantial injury history while being bounced from team to team. He tore his quad while he was with the Golden State Warriors in 2019 and then his ACL a short time later, before he joined the Los Angeles Lakers organization.
Cousins spent time with the Houston Rockets last season, playing in 25 games before he was released. He appeared in 16 games in a reserve role with the Los Angeles Clippers and had a couple of big playoff games for them.
Despite injuries being a factor, Cousins can still provide offense and pass the ball to his open teammates, which is hard to find these day, especially for a center in the NBA. The downside for Cousins is he most likely would not want to come to a rebuilding team. However, if he joined the Hornets, he could provide leadership and flexibility off the bench at this stage of his career.
3. Isaiah Hartenstein, age 23 – It is somewhat of a shock that Isaiah Hartenstein is still on the open market, especially because of his age, rawness and the fact that he would come at a cheap price. He could be a valuable pickup for the Hornets.
Hartenstein has been in the NBA since he was 20 years of age, spending time with the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers. He has above average size and length at 7-feet-tall.
It is unlikely the Hartenstein will ever develop enough to become a reliable starter, but he has proven over the last few years that he could be a dependable part of a rotation coming off the bench.
For his height and size, his ball handling skills are impressive. With the Cavaliers stock-piling big men, the chances of Hartenstein returning to them are very low, so the Hornets should give him a look to see what he can do.
4. Harry Giles, age 23 – Once a big name, five-star recruit, Harry Giles’ career has not gone as planned. Giles underwent knee surgery before his freshman year at Duke began. Once he returned to the university, he could never really find his way. Giles made himself available for the 2017 NBA draft, where he dropped all the way down to the 20th selection by the Sacramento Kings.
Giles made his NBA debut in 2018, He has only averaged 6 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 13 minutes per game. He signed with the Portland Trail Blazers last year and appeared in 38 games averaging only 3 points and 4 rebounds.
It appears that Giles’ NBA career could be floundering and his home state of North Carolina could be a good place to get it back on track. Giles could be a player that the Hornets send down to the G-League to work on his development, mainly shooting skills and call him up when needed.
