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The Philadelphia 76ers' 2021 second-round pick Charles Bassey was waived by the franchise last month. Philly made the decision as they had to get their roster down to 15 players before the start of the season.
The big man has since received another opportunity on a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs. Here is how Charles Bassey has fared over his first four games with the team.
Bassey started out the season with the Austin Spurs in the NBA G League. However, an injury to San Antonio's backup center Zach Collins opened up an opportunity for Bassey to be called up and play backup center minutes.
Over four games for the Spurs, he has averaged 6.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. He has managed those numbers in just 15.5 minutes per game.
Bassey’s most impressive performance came in San Antonio’s most recent game, a 111-93 win against the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks. Bassey put up five points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in just 18 minutes.
In doing so, he became the second player in NBA history to have 14 rebounds, four blocks and four assists in less than 20 minutes played. He also became the first player in NBA history to do so off the bench.
The Spurs' team Twitter account later shared the statistical accomplishment with Bassey reacting to it.
“They didn’t believe in us GOD DID!!!” Bassey wrote.
It’s obviously been a very small sample size for Charles Bassey in San Antonio. But with the Sixers lacking a reliable backup big man, perhaps they could have given Bassey a bigger chance to prove himself.
Charles Bassey's NBA career so far
Since being drafted 53rd by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021, Charles Bassey has played in just 27 total NBA games for the Sixers and the San Antonio Spurs. He has career averages of 3.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game on 63.5% shooting in just 8.5 minutes per game.
These numbers don’t stand out much, but Bassey showed a ton of upside in both college and in the NBA G League. In three years at Western Kentucky University, Bassey averaged 15.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game on 59.6% shooting over 72 games.
His performances in college as an agile 6'11" big man who could rebound and protect the rim earned him draft comparisons to multiple defensive-minded bigs. This includes Atlanta Hawks veteran center Clint Capela and Phoenix Suns veteran big man Bismack Biyombo.
Bassey displayed a similar upside in the G League earlier this season over two games for the Austin Spurs. He averaged 26.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game on 67.6% shooting in those two games. Overall, he looked like a player who was too good for the G League.
As the Spurs' season progresses, they might start to prioritize developing young talent over winning. This could include trading starting center Jakob Poeltl before the trade deadline, as Poeltl has been heavily involved in trade rumors.
If they do, then Charles Bassey could be someone to watch as a potential breakout candidate.
