Former Philadelphia 76ers draft pick Charles Bassey experienced some pretty harsh conditions in his foray into free agency all summer long, but fortunately for him, the basketball gods decided it was time to give him another chance to mount an audition piece to stay in the league, at least for this season.
As first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Grizzlies plan to sign Charles Bassey to a 10-day hardship signing — this being the case in view of their team missing a litany of players for longer durations due to various injuries. The NBA accorded Memphis with the hardship exception, which could not have come at a better time for their injury-riddled group.
Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke are still sidelined due to injuries, and both will take time before they return. As a result, the normally physically imposing Grizzlies are suddenly thin at the power forward and center positions, making Bassey a sensible player to pluck off the open market for the meantime.
But for the ex-Sixer, this is nothing but good news. Bassey has been eager to prove that he still belongs in the league, even spurning some offers abroad in hopes of maintaining his footing in the NBA.
Former 76ers draft pick Charles Bassey gets another lifeline to stay in the NBA
Bassey did not play a lot for the 76ers. After getting selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, he went on to appear in just 23 games for Philly. Right after that brief stint, he headed to the San Antonio Spurs where he managed to stick for three seasons.
However, due to his struggles staying on the court due to injury and overall stagnancy, the Spurs decided against bringing him back for this season. Thus, Bassey had to seek a new home for himself, even willingly suiting up for the Celtics during their Summer League camp without any guarantees as regards an actual NBA deal.
Ultimately, that did not pan out. He then joined the Hawks for training camp, but was unfortunately the last player they cut prior to the regular season.
While a bit undersized at center, Bassey is a prolific shot-blocker who can crash the boards well. Even better, he is not helpless on offense. Despite the lack of acuity as a scorer, he is a better passer than most players in his position, and he is mobile enough to survive in switch-heavy defensive schemes.
This is a good opportunity for the former 76ers big man to entrench himself in the league. While a 10-day deal hardly reeks of permanence, given how the Grizzlies are missing a lot of bodies, they can easily stick with him as long as he performs well.
Hopefully, he does.