Can Celtics find a roster spot for Summer League star Charles Bassey? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics watched an entire stable of championship big men depart this offseason with the losses of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and (presumably soon) Al Horford. Even the most ardent fans of Luka Garza, Neemias Queta, and Xavier Tillman would admit there’s a pretty noticeable void at the big-man spot.
The Celtics needed someone — anyone with height — to emerge as a potential future prospect at the NBA Summer League in Vegas, and the most intriguing prospect might have been a last-minute addition.
Charles Bassey, a former second-round pick (53rd overall, 2021) of the Philadelphia 76ers who spent the past three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, didn’t even make Boston’s initial summer roster. But that hasn’t stopped him from posting a pair of double-doubles to start the team’s desert stay.
The 24-year-old Bassey has a very obvious skill set. He uses a 7-foot-3 wing span to disrupt shot attempts and is a rebounding fiend. He can subsist on putbacks and has excellent finishing ability around the basket.
As Bassey reintroduces himself to the NBA world in Vegas, the question is whether the Celtics might be able to extend this look at him.
The Celtics already have a fully stocked 15-man roster and Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said last week that the team is comfortable carrying this group into the 2025-26 season. There is some flexibility, however, as players like Queta and JD Davison are on non-guaranteed deals.
The Celtics still have some maneuvering to do to get back off the second apron after signing Garza and Josh Minott to minimum deals this offseason. That maneuvering could open another spot to add a player to the parent roster before the season tips.
Bassey should be intrigued by the potential for opportunity in Boston. The question is whether another team, alerted by his summer performance, might swoop in with the sort of guaranteed spot that the Celtics cannot immediately offer.
Bassey feels like the type of player whom Boston should want to take a swing on with hopes that he might blossom in a new setting, much like Queta did (and Kornet before him).
Asked about the state of the center position last week, Stevens noted, “That group will not be the group that people will single out — based on paper, on what they’ve done with their careers thus far — as our strongest position. But it’s up to them to prove it otherwise.”
Bassey has appeared in 113 games over his four NBA seasons, including 36 games (and one start) with the Spurs last season. His numbers in San Antonio don’t exactly leap off the page — 4.7 points, 4.3 rebounds over 12.1 minutes per game — but his advanced numbers are intriguing. Last season, opponents shot 6 percent below expected output on all shots inside six feet when defended by Bassey, per NBA tracking data.
Bassey blocked 30 shots in 376 total minutes last season. His block rate of 4.1 percent ranked in the 98th percentile among big men, per Cleaning the Glass data. Bassey rebounded 15.6 percent of his team’s missed shots while on the court, which also ranked in the 98th percentile among all big men.
Injuries have hindered his basketball development. The joke here would be that injuries have rarely deterred the Celtics from rolling the dice on big men (see: Robert Williams III and Porzingis).
It’s also important not to overreact to a small sample, particularly at Summer League. And given his four years of NBA experience, it’s probably not a big surprise that Bassey has put up eye-catching numbers against a collection of rookies and roster hopefuls.
But the Celtics do need to uncover some gems. They might have to roll the dice on players who haven’t fully tapped into their potential, or have been limited by injury or opportunity. Garza and Minott will get every chance to show what they can do in a new setting. Queta played important minutes in each of the past two seasons. Tillman, if he survives any roster tinkering, is going to invariably play more than he did last season.
Bassey is an intriguing option. Whether his Celtics stay extends beyond Vegas ultimately might hinge on the interest he’s created for himself outside the Celtics organization.
Can Celtics find a roster spot for Summer League star Charles Bassey?
The 24-year-old big man has posted back-to-back double-doubles in Vegas.
The Boston Celtics watched an entire stable of championship big men depart this offseason with the losses of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and (presumably soon) Al Horford. Even the most ardent fans of Luka Garza, Neemias Queta, and Xavier Tillman would admit there’s a pretty noticeable void at the big-man spot.
The Celtics needed someone — anyone with height — to emerge as a potential future prospect at the NBA Summer League in Vegas, and the most intriguing prospect might have been a last-minute addition.
Charles Bassey, a former second-round pick (53rd overall, 2021) of the Philadelphia 76ers who spent the past three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, didn’t even make Boston’s initial summer roster. But that hasn’t stopped him from posting a pair of double-doubles to start the team’s desert stay.
SIGN UP HERE The 24-year-old Bassey has a very obvious skill set. He uses a 7-foot-3 wing span to disrupt shot attempts and is a rebounding fiend. He can subsist on putbacks and has excellent finishing ability around the basket.
As Bassey reintroduces himself to the NBA world in Vegas, the question is whether the Celtics might be able to extend this look at him.
The Celtics already have a fully stocked 15-man roster and Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said last week that the team is comfortable carrying this group into the 2025-26 season. There is some flexibility, however, as players like Queta and JD Davison are on non-guaranteed deals.
The Celtics still have some maneuvering to do to get back off the second apron after signing Garza and Josh Minott to minimum deals this offseason. That maneuvering could open another spot to add a player to the parent roster before the season tips.
Bassey should be intrigued by the potential for opportunity in Boston. The question is whether another team, alerted by his summer performance, might swoop in with the sort of guaranteed spot that the Celtics cannot immediately offer.
Bassey feels like the type of player whom Boston should want to take a swing on with hopes that he might blossom in a new setting, much like Queta did (and Kornet before him).
Asked about the state of the center position last week, Stevens noted, “That group will not be the group that people will single out — based on paper, on what they’ve done with their careers thus far — as our strongest position. But it’s up to them to prove it otherwise.”
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Bassey has appeared in 113 games over his four NBA seasons, including 36 games (and one start) with the Spurs last season. His numbers in San Antonio don’t exactly leap off the page — 4.7 points, 4.3 rebounds over 12.1 minutes per game — but his advanced numbers are intriguing. Last season, opponents shot 6 percent below expected output on all shots inside six feet when defended by Bassey, per NBA tracking data.
Bassey blocked 30 shots in 376 total minutes last season. His block rate of 4.1 percent ranked in the 98th percentile among big men, per Cleaning the Glass data. Bassey rebounded 15.6 percent of his team’s missed shots while on the court, which also ranked in the 98th percentile among all big men.
Injuries have hindered his basketball development. The joke here would be that injuries have rarely deterred the Celtics from rolling the dice on big men (see: Robert Williams III and Porzingis).
It’s also important not to overreact to a small sample, particularly at Summer League. And given his four years of NBA experience, it’s probably not a big surprise that Bassey has put up eye-catching numbers against a collection of rookies and roster hopefuls.
But the Celtics do need to uncover some gems. They might have to roll the dice on players who haven’t fully tapped into their potential, or have been limited by injury or opportunity. Garza and Minott will get every chance to show what they can do in a new setting. Queta played important minutes in each of the past two seasons. Tillman, if he survives any roster tinkering, is going to invariably play more than he did last season.
Bassey is an intriguing option. Whether his Celtics stay extends beyond Vegas ultimately might hinge on the interest he’s created for himself outside the Celtics organization.
