What to watch for in Sixers’ Summer League: Charles Bassey’s roster spot
The Sixers drafted two centers in the second round of last month’s draft: Filip Petrusev (No. 50) and Charles Bassey (No. 53). While Petrusev is basically a confirmed draft-and-stash, Bassey’s immediate future is less certain. He’s not on a two-way contract right now, and the Sixers only have a few precious roster spots to hand out.
There is a chance the Sixers decide to stash Bassey overseas too, or simply leave him in the G-League for a season before bringing him to the big leagues. With Reed’s strong rookie year and Drummond on board, depth at the center spot is not a pressing issue. That said, there’s also a chance Bassey cracks the 15-man roster. He was a five-star recruit with lofty expectations out of high school. His pedigree and potential is rare for a second-round center.
Summer League could go a long way in determining Bassey’s status for next season. If he can showcase his strengths — shot blocking, rim running, rebounding — while also expanding his game beyond what we saw at Western Kentucky — a real 3-point shot, perhaps — there’s a real case for Bassey to be on the team next year.
Given the injury-prone nature of Joel Embiid, not to mention the general apprehension around the Drummond signing, it’s not unsmart to have multiple options at center. Bassey is at least an intriguing break-in-case-of-emergency player in 2021.