A Closer Look at Charles Bassey
The Philadelphia 76ers have assigned their 2021 second-round pick, Charles Bassey, to their G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, along with Jaden Springer, the 2021 first round pick, and Aaron Henry, the Sixers’ sole two-way player.
The 76ers selected the then- 20 year old power forward/center with the 53rd pick in the 2021 draft. However, a contract stalemate prevented him from playing for Sixers during summer league and most of the preseason. After more than a month of negotiations, Keith Pompey reported the rookie and the team settled on a partially guaranteed 3 year contract. The first year is fully guaranteed, the second is partially guaranteed, and the final year is not guaranteed. The deal grants the player some financial security while allowing the team to maintain their long-term cap flexibility.
Bassey has not received significant minutes in the 6 games he has played with the Sixers. He averaged 8.4 minutes in three preseason games and 2.2 minutes in three regular season games. The lack of meaningful minutes make it hard to gauge what kind of player Bassey can become for the Sixers, who currently view themselves as a contender.
Bassey’s College Play
Bassey’s college career may offer a window into the player he can become. Charles is 6’11, 235 pounds and played 3 seasons at Western Kentucky University, or WKU, for short. His second season, the 2019-2020 season, was a redshirt season where he only played 10 games.
He averaged 15.9 points, 2.6 blocks, 2.5 turnovers, 10.5 rebounds, 76.8% on 4.1 attempts from the free throw line and made 30.5% of 2.1 three point attempts. He finished his college career with a field goal percentage of 59.6%. He made a marked improvement in his three point attempts as a college player, going from 0.6 threes attempted a game as a freshman to 2.1 as a redshirt sophomore. He led the Conference USA in rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage.
A quick glimpse at his highlight shows questionable competition- 6’8 centers, skinny bigs, players who never progressed past their highschool strength, post players who don’t have the slightest understanding of defensive footwork or passing lanes.
A Deep Dive
But he warrants a deeper dive. The following assessment is based on his performance in three games: December 19, 2020 vs Alabama, February 25, 2021 vs Houston, and March 12, 2021 vs UAB.
At the core of his playstyle is Charles’ engagement. He simply plays the game the right way.
He can set screens well, a basic but often poorly-performed skill at all levels of competition.
Whereas many young players view transition as an opportunity to freestyle and disengage if the ball isn’t in their hands, Bassey remains engaged in transition, setting soft-screens for his teammates to get open shots.
In college, bigger centers boxed out Bassey and took him out of the offense and defense with ease. While he possesses the measurements to become an NBA center, he most likely needs to get stronger to compete at the NBA level.
He is not a flashy player; he’s not the transcendent block threat 3rd pick Evan Mobley is nor is his post footwork reminiscent of ballet like 16th pick Alperen Segun’s. There’s no evidence he has the mobility or lateral speed switch onto guard. He played well as a secondary or help block threat. Hopefully, as his time with the Blue Coats progresses, his defensive decision making in the pick-and-roll will improve as well.
The Delaware Blue Coats’ season opener is Saturday, November 6, 2021. They will play the Long Island Nets at the Chase Fieldhouse and the game will be broadcasted through NBAGLeague.com.
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Categorized:Sixers