Charles Bassey makes his mark on the NBA

Over the course of just six games, Charles Bassey has made his mark on the NBA. In a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, Bassey set an NBA record off the bench. In just 18 minutes of play, Bassey recorded 5 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks. Not only was he the first bench player to record 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 assists in under 20 minutes, but he was also the second player in NBA history to do so. 

Who is Charles Bassey?

Bassey’s name is one that the average NBA fan may not have heard. This is primarily due to his two-way contract, ensuring that he spends part of his time in the NBA G-League. The other reason his name is unknown is his lack of playing time when he’s not in the G League. You can thank Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers for that. 

Bassey began his career on a two-way contract with the Sixers. With no proper backups for Joel Embiid, the Sixers turned to DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap. While on the Sixers, Jordan and Millsap had a combined -66 +/-. Their playing time took away from Paul Reed and Bassey. 

For some background information, Bassey is a 6’9, 230lb center out of Nigeria. Being drafted just last season, he’s only 22 years old. Bassey played 23 games with the Sixers last season, averaging just over seven minutes per game.

“Charles Bassey never did anything here!” He got 15+ minutes of playing time in two (2) games for us last year (lmao). In those games:

41 minutes
25 points
17 rebounds (6 off.)
7 blocks
1 steal
0 turnovers
11-17 FG
65.1% TS

He did this to the back-to-back league MVP pic.twitter.com/dUKpIPWxb9

— ً (@_itsnotmatt) November 12, 2022

This season, however, he’s playing extended minutes with the Spurs.

Opportunity with Spurs

Bassey has been averaging over 15 minutes per game in four games with the Spurs. So far, he has been taking advantage of these minutes. He is currently averaging 6.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 1.8 BLK on 64/40/83 shooting splits. His per-36 numbers are ridiculous, consisting of 13.8 PPG, 15.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 3.9 BLK, and 1.6 STL.

While his scoring numbers aren’t going to lead the league, his production elsewhere is off the charts. Getting Bassey from the Sixers off waivers has proven to be a steal thus far. His production has gotten many responses from fans and analysts alike. They all surround the center point that the Sixers made a mistake giving Bassey up too early. It’s still too early to tell, but he has been outstanding for the Spurs thus far.