Charles Bassey Needs to Take Advantage of Key Absence vs. Cavs
The Philadelphia 76ers have an important roster decision to make later this week. Considering the regular season is about a week away, the Sixers have to finalize their team before opening night, and in order to do so, cuts have to be made.
On Sunday, the Sixers parted ways with one of their offseason acquisitions. Months after landing the former NBA G League MVP Trevelin Queen, the Sixers moved on from the young guard.
Queen didn’t have much time to prove himself on the Sixers’ main roster. After making his debut last Monday on the road against the Brooklyn Nets, Queen only spent a few minutes on the court before he suffered a head injury.
Due to having concussion-like symptoms, Queen was held out of last Wednesday’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. By Sunday, Queen was a free agent.
The Sixers have to make another tough decision soon, and it is widely believed that the team’s final roster spot comes down to one of two players; Isaiah Joe or Charles Bassey.
Both Joe and Bassey made their preseason debut against the Nets last Monday. Unfortunately, neither player was issued playing time on Wednesday against Cleveland.
Monday’s rematch against the Cavs should be different for both prospects — especially Bassey. As Sixers center Joel Embiid didn’t travel with the team as he’ll take a rest day, that leaves playing time to prospects behind him.
Paul Reed will likely get the start in Embiid’s place, but he might not have Montrezl Harrell behind him. According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Harrell is dealing with a right intercostal strain. Being that Harrell’s considered to be day-to-day, he could miss Monday’s game.
Charles Bassey is next in line, as he’s the only other listed center on the roster. That’s a good sign for the former second-round pick, considering he’s potentially battling for a roster spot.
Last year, Bassey joined the 76ers as the 53rd overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. He was the team’s third selection behind the first-rounder Jaden Springer and the Euro stash Filip Petrusev.
During his rookie season with the Sixers, Bassey appeared in 23 games, averaging seven minutes off the bench. In those matchups, Bassey put up three points per game while coming down with 2.7 rebounds per game. Considering the Sixers’ center depth was crowded, the rookie big man spent some time with the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
In 17 games with the Blue Coats, Bassey averaged 18 points and ten rebounds in less than 30 minutes per game. At the G League level, the young center shined. Now, he has to do what he can to try and mirror that production during his final two preseason matchups with the Sixers this week to solidify his spot on the roster.
Bassey should have a great opportunity on Monday to prove his worth in the absence of Embiid and possibly Harrell against the Cavs. Then on Wednesday, Bassey could get some valuable playing time at home for the preseason finale against the Charlotte Hornets.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
