To me, I actually like the idea of using an early 2nd round pick on a center, but it is a boom or bust pick. Either he’ll be a top 15 center in the league, or out of the league. If we were out here drafting like Nic Claxton and Xavier Tillman with those picks, I don’t think anyone would be down on taking centers in the draft.

From preseason, Hartenstein definitely seems like a capable 3rd string guy, if not even a bit overqualified. Hopefully Zu and Serge are healthy, but it’s nice insurance option to have. There’s probably even a small chance that Serge doesn’t look better than last season, or after these back issues he just isn’t the same player anymore, and Hartenstein outplays him.

As for Giles, I was excited for the upside given his pedigree, but I’m sure all his previous teams were saying the same thing. He just doesn’t look very comfortable out there. Not really sure what he needs to work on, since on paper you’d think he has a ton of skills. Seems to me like he likes to operate with the ball in his hands at the elbows or roam around the perimeter, but from there he’s really only a threat as a passer, and really not enough of a threat from midrange or 3. Feels like he wants have the ball on the perimeter to try and either pass into cutters or use his handle to get into some awkward floaters, but those just aren’t good enough shots. His handle is decent for a center, but doesn’t feel like he has the quick first step to take advantage of bigger defenders. Either he needs a very reliable midrange (or preferably 3-pt shot), or he needs to bulk up and work hard enough off ball to create easy baskets for himself rather than just roam around the perimeter. He showed flashes of having a decent 3-pt shot for Portland. With the way he plays now, I feel like if he’s going to make it in the league, he’s going to have to learn to be a stretch big.