Spurs' Charles Bassey: Grabs 11 boards sans Wembanyama
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Bassey contributed eight points (4-4 FG), 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 19 minutes during Friday's 121-106 loss to New Orleans.
Spurs standout rookie Victor Wembanyama (hip) didn't play Friday, opening more of an opportunity for Bassey to get on the court. His 19 minutes were a season high, and Bassey responded with a strong performance that included a team-high 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Bassey came into the contest averaging just 10.3 minutes per game, and despite Friday's strong effort, he'll likely return to that level of playing time when Wembanyama is able to return.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Picks up slack in paint
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Bassey ended Monday's 124-99 loss to the Clippers with two points (1-3 FG), 12 rebounds, three assists and four blocks over 18 minutes.
Bassey is locked in behind Victor Wembanyama on the depth chart, but he enjoyed some extra time during the rookie's lackluster game. Bassey has the skills to start on an NBA team, but he's in the worst position imaginable as a backup to a once-in-a-generation player. He signed a four-year contract with the team before Wembanyama was selected, and if he can make the most of his limited opportunities, teams in need of interior support might give his agent a call.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Solid garbage-time production
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Bassey produced 10 points (5-5 FG), three rebounds, one assist and three steals over 17 minutes during Monday's 152-111 loss to the Pacers.
San Antonio trailed by 32 points entering the fourth quarter Monday, so benches were emptied early in the contest. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old capitalized to the fullest with perfect shooting from the field and admirable defensive activity.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Hauls in five rebounds
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Bassey racked up two points (1-1 FG), five rebounds, two assists and one steal across 13 minutes during Wednesday's 126-119 loss to the Mavericks.
Bassey had minimal shot volume off the bench Wednesday, but he was effective on the boards during the narrow defeat. The 22-year-old has limited fantasy upside during the 2023-24 campaign after the Spurs drafted Victor Wembanyama during the offseason, and he can be safely left on waiver wires as long as the team's frontcourt is healthy.
Bassey is not in the starting lineup for Monday's preseason contest against Houston.
Bassey will reprise a bench role while Zach Collins rejoins the starting unit. Bassey has averaged 6.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in 19.6 minutes per game across two preseason appearances.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Pounds glass in loss
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Bassey supplied six points (3-5 FG), 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 16 minutes during Monday's 122-121 preseason loss to the Thunder.
Bassey has an argument to be San Antonio's most physical rebounder, which could help him carve out a platoon roll when Zach Collins isn't on the court. Bassey was sharp in the G League last season, averaging 22.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 blocks per game across 10 starts.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Healthy for start of camp
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Coach Gregg Popovich said Thursday that Bassey (kneecap) has been "full speed" in practice to begin training camp, Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Bassey missed the end of last season due to a non-displaced fracture of his left patella, but he appears to be healthy as the Spurs prepare for the preseason. He was limited to just 35 appearances in the NBA while splitting time between the G League and parent club last year, but he averaged 5.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game with San Antonio.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Likely done for season
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Bassey is likely out for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign after the Spurs confirmed Wednesday that the big man suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left patella during Tuesday's win over the Magic, Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Bassey was set to undergo further testing Wednesday after an initial diagnosis Tuesday presumed the fracture, and the second-year center didn't get positive news from those scans. Before the injury, Bassey had carved out a nice backup role in San Antonio, posting 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.7 steals in 17.2 minutes over his past 10 appearances (one start). However, he'll now have to turn his sights on preparing for the 2023-24 campaign. Bassey signed a four-year, $10.2 million deal with San Antonio in February, so the Spurs have faith they can develop the 23-year-old into a solid rotational piece over the next few years. In his absence, more minutes could be in store for Sandro Mamukelashvili and Gorgui Dieng.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Suffers knee fracture
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Bassey will undergo additional tests Wednesday after an initial diagnosis of the injury he suffered in Tuesday's 132-114 win over the Magic revealed a non-displaced fracture in his left patella, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Bassey scored two points (1-2 FG) and added two assists, one steal and one block in eight minutes before exiting the contest with the left knee injury. Heading into the contest, the second-year big man was averaging 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 17.2 minutes across his last 10 appearances. The Spurs will presumably put Bassey through additional tests before confirming the diagnosis, but he looks as though he could be in danger of missing the rest of the season.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Won't return with knee issue
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Bassey will not return to Tuesday's game against Orlando due to a left knee injury, Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
This is a tough blow for the Spurs, as Bassey has been solid off the bench in recent weeks. He'll finish the game with two points, two assists, one steal and one block in eight minutes. If Bassey misses additional time, the Spurs could turn to Sandro Mamukelashvili.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Returns to bench
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Bassey isn't in the starting five for Friday's game versus Denver.
Zach Collins will replace Bassey in the starting lineup Friday. Bassey is averaging 8.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks in 16.7 minutes across his previous seven outings coming off the bench this season.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Efficient from field in loss
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Bassey closed with 14 points (7-10 FG, 0-1 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one block across 25 minutes during Sunday's 142-110 loss to the Rockets.
Bassey missed only three of his 10 shots and was one of the team's top scorers in a game where the entire offense sputtered, as San Antonio ended up suffering a massive 32-point loss. With Zach Collins (undisclosed) and Jeremy Sochan (knee) sidelined Sunday, Bassey started for the first time since Dec. 14, and he's now scored in double digits in three of his last six contests.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Starting Sunday
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Bassey will start Sunday against the Rockets, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Bassey will earn the second start of his career with Zach Collins out with an undisclosed injury, and he looks like an attractive streamer with a favorable matchup against the Rockets. In his only previous start this season (Dec. 14 vs. POR), Bassey put up six points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 20 minutes.
Spurs' Charles Bassey: Scores season-high 16 points
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Bassey finished with 16 points (7-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one steal across 19 minutes during Thursday's 142-116 loss to the Mavericks.
Bassey missed just one shot en route to a season-high 16 points. The second-year backup center has appeared in three straight games and has averaged 8.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals-plus-blocks in 15.3 minutes during that stretch. With Jakob Poeltl now in Toronto and Khem Birch (knee) still not available, Bassey has a chance to carve out a solid backup role in San Antonio's frontcourt, though the impending return of Jeremy Sochan (quadriceps) may limit his opportunities moving forward.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Grabs 11 boards
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Bassey amassed four points (2-10 FG, 0-2 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 14 minutes during Wednesday's 120-110 loss to Charlotte.
Bassey has now played in two straight games after missing most of January and a good chunk of February tending to a leg injury. He's been unable to provide much on the offensive end, but he's secured eight and 11 rebounds in his two appearances this week. Bassey should continue to serve as the backup center to Zach Collins after the break.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Inks four-year deal
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The Spurs signed Bassey to a four-year, $10.2 million deal Tuesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Bassey has appeared in 25 games (one start) for the Spurs this season and is averaging 4.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals-plus-blocks across 13.6 minutes. He spent most of January at the G League level, but he reclaimed the backup center role behind Zach Collins on Monday, posting six points and eight rebounds in 13 minutes. Given his new deal, it appears San Antonio may envision the second-year big man out of Western Kentucky as the future starting center after the departure of stalwart Jakob Poeltl at the trade deadline.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Reclaims backup center role
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Bassey (lower leg) finished Monday's 117-109 loss to the Cavaliers with six points (2-3 FG, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds and one steal.
Bassey has spent much of the past month in the G League, but he hadn't played for the Austin Spurs since Jan. 28 due to a sore left lower leg. The second-year big man was cleared to rejoin the NBA team over the weekend, however, and he evidently demonstrated that he was healthy enough to play Monday. Head coach Gregg Popovich deployed Bassey as the top backup to starting center Zach Collins, moving veteran Gorgui Dieng out of the rotation in the process while Isaiah Roby shifted over to the backup power forward role. Bassey turned in quality per-minute numbers, and though his overall upside will remain capped so long as Collins is healthy, the former should still be an asset in deeper leagues if he consistently sticks in the backup center role on a game-by-game basis.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Available to play
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Bassey (leg) will be available to play Monday versus the Cavs, independent NBA writer Matthew Tynan reports.
This will be Bassey's first game since Jan. 7, so he'll likely have his minutes monitored Monday night. He's returning to a much different situation in San Antonio with Jakob Poeltl now in Toronto, so he could be operating as Zach Collins' backup. However, he's shown this season that he's capable of putting up fantasy-relevant stat lines even if he doesn't clear the 20-minute mark, so keep an eye on him.
