Getty Charles Bassey #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on before playing against the Los Angeles Lakers at Wells Fargo Center on January 27, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia 76ers have taken some massive strides toward adding to their bench depth this offseason. The lack of production from the second unit has been a cause for concern for the team for several years and Daryl Morey has made this a point of emphasis to address.
While the new additions have all looked impressive and shown what they can bring to the team, the unfortunate reality is there can only be 15 players kept on an NBA roster. A few of the younger members of the Sixers saw their jobs called to question with the new veterans — and center Charles Bassey was one of the casualties.
As first reported by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers elected to release Bassey and make him a free agent in their effort to get down to the roster limit ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
According to league source, the #Sixers just released Charles Bassey.
Who Is Charles Bassey?
The Sixers drafted Bassey with the 53rd pick in the 2021 draft. He stands at 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and an NBA-ready style of play. The Western Kentucky product struggled to carve out a niche for himself with the Sixers last season and was heading into his second season in the NBA.
The writing was on the wall for Bassey, as he has not been given much of an opportunity in the preseason. During the first matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, Bassey played 14 minutes and tallied 4 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block. However, this production was not enough to earn him more of an opportunity and he remained on the bench for the entirety of the next three preseason games.
Charles Bassey’s timing on these blocks is textbook. Even got Michael Foster Jr. on the second one.
This was especially concerning in the preseason finale against the Charlotte Hornets. In total, 17 different members of the Sixers stepped on the floor in the matchup. Bassey was not one of them. Multiple players on Exhibit 10 deals and two-way contracts (meaning they will spend time with the Delaware Blue Coats) saw time ahead of Bassey, which especially raised red flags.
Following the game, Doc Rivers was asked about not giving the 21-year-old an opportunity. He told the media, “It’s a result of the logjam. We had to get our guys minutes. Michael [Foster Jr.] needed to play some minutes. We know what Charles– we needed Michael to play some, too,” per Ky Carlin of SixersWire.
What’s Next for Bassey?
Cutting Bassey made sense from a financial perspective, with the big man on the books for just $74,742 in guaranteed money. As Rivers alluded to, being stuck behind Joel Embiid, Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed limited the need for another big man and led the team to the difficult decision.
During his limited opportunities, he has shown some positive flashes. Bassey played just 168 minutes with the Sixers last year totaling 69 points, 62 rebounds and 17 blocks during this time. He also played a major role in the Blue Coats’ run to the G-League championship, where he played a prominent role. In the G-League regular season, Bassey averaged 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game during his 18.8 minutes per game.
Goodbye Charles Bassey. We will always have the Nuggets game.
Considering his youth, upside and NBA style of play, Bassey is sure to land on his feet somewhere. His best moment in the NBA thus far came against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, where he more than held his own and blocked the two-time MVP twice. There was not a role for him on the Sixers as they fully embrace their win-now mindset, but he has the tools to be a productive big man in a different situation. Just as Trevelin Queen was given another NBA chance following his Sixers release, expect the same to happen with Bassey.