Knicks (0-1) vs Celtics (1-0) SL Game #2 7/13/25

[A Future of Stevens]

That finish on the Lofton lob by Bassey was nuts. It was a bad pass, caught it lefty and popped it up and in.

[A Future of Stevens]

I don't like when Lofton is in the game. I feel like he negatively impacts his teammates while he is out there. Hes like an anti floor general

[Chief]

I don't like when Lofton is in the game. I feel like he negatively impacts his teammates while he is out there. Hes like an anti floor general

And he's still better than Amari

[Who]

Bassey is small. He is fast and can jump but not much physical presence in the paint or around the rim (on defense).

I think he is benefitting from SL opponents who are smaller and/or not as athletic as NBA centers. I am not sure how well this will translate to NBA opponents.

He also benefits from his NBA experience. He knows how to do things quickly that other bigs (like Amari) do not know how to do. Like how to roll properly to the rim. It stands out against sub-standard SL opposition but it won't stand out as much against NBA talent.

He's a good rebounder. That will translate

Yep. He looks good enough to be a 3rd string NBA center. Not sure he is more than that.

Still, that is useful. Queta to start. Garza (offense, no defense) and Bassey (low skill mobile defender) to alternate depending on need. Worth signing.

[Goldstar88]

Bassey is small. He is fast and can jump but not much physical presence in the paint or around the rim (on defense).

I think he is benefitting from SL opponents who are smaller and/or not as athletic as NBA centers. I am not sure how well this will translate to NBA opponents.

He also benefits from his NBA experience. He knows how to do things quickly that other bigs (like Amari) do not know how to do. Like how to roll properly to the rim. It stands out against sub-standard SL opposition but it won't stand out as much against NBA talent.

NBA.com has him listed at 6?10/230lbs. Wouldn?t say he?s small. Still only 24, so hopefully he can bulk up some.

[Who]

Bassey is small. He is fast and can jump but not much physical presence in the paint or around the rim (on defense).

I think he is benefitting from SL opponents who are smaller and/or not as athletic as NBA centers. I am not sure how well this will translate to NBA opponents.

He also benefits from his NBA experience. He knows how to do things quickly that other bigs (like Amari) do not know how to do. Like how to roll properly to the rim. It stands out against sub-standard SL opposition but it won't stand out as much against NBA talent.

NBA.com has him listed at 6?10/230lbs. Wouldn?t say he?s small. Still only 24, so hopefully he can bulk up some.

The 6-10 is with shoes. He is 6-9 without shoes. According to his draft measurements.

He has a large wingspan at 7-3 but a standing reach of only 8-11 which is small for a center.

[keevsnick]

Bassey is small. He is fast and can jump but not much physical presence in the paint or around the rim (on defense).

I think he is benefitting from SL opponents who are smaller and/or not as athletic as NBA centers. I am not sure how well this will translate to NBA opponents.

He also benefits from his NBA experience. He knows how to do things quickly that other bigs (like Amari) do not know how to do. Like how to roll properly to the rim. It stands out against sub-standard SL opposition but it won't stand out as much against NBA talent.

NBA.com has him listed at 6?10/230lbs. Wouldn?t say he?s small. Still only 24, so hopefully he can bulk up some.

The 6-10 is with shoes. He is 6-9 without shoes. According to his draft measurements.

He has a large wingspan at 7-3 but a standing reach of only 8-11 which is small for a center.

All of that would still make him the 3rd biggest guy on the Celtics next season.

[radiohead]

I feel if we don?t sign Bassey somebody else will.

[slamtheking]

I feel if we don?t sign Bassey somebody else will.

agreed.  he'll make an NBA roster somewhere. 

still not seeing anyone this year looking like they'll be a help to the team.  Baylor's been doing some of the little things that are helpful but need to see him shoot a lot better than this.  Walsh looks like he's actually regressing to me.

[Neurotic Guy]

Watched G1 but not G2. In G1 Bassey looked a notch better than the competition. Not surprising I guess but as others have said, this doesn?t necessarily translate to productive minutes in real NBA games.

In G1 Schiereman tried to do things he won?t really do in actual games - namely, be the number 1 offensive option.  Looking at his box score for G2 looks like Baylor spread his game a bit. Shooting still off but looks like he might have been pesky on defense and clearly distributed the ball.  I?d really love to see him work himself into a consistent rotation player in the early part of the season. 

[Who]

When the Spurs added Charles Bassey to the roster, the hope was that he would turn into a strong defensive backup who could reliably provide support in an auxiliary role. He had already gone through some injury woes, only playing 23 games for the Sixers in his rookie season, but that happens to players early in their careers sometimes. It didn't mean he was injury-prone.

Three seasons into his tenure with the Silver and Black, he's played a total of 88 games for the team. Now, we can say without equivocation that he's injury-prone.

It's an unfortunate reality because players who get hurt consistently don't do it on purpose. They have no control over how often their body lets them down. But it's the truth, and it's time for San Antonio to move on from the Nigerian big man.

There was merit to the idea that he'd develop into a solid rotational center. When he's on the court, he brings a strong defensive presence around the rim, going after layup and dunk attempts with the unrelenting aggression of a rabid rottweiler.

Bassey has turned in several multi-block performances, impressing fans and teammates alike. He's even shown the occasional feathery touch around the rim. He's just not on the court enough.

The Spurs backup has been in and out of the lineup all season, only playing 34 of a possible 67 games this season. He's never played more than 35 games in the four years he's been in the league. With only 15 games left in a lost year, there's no reason to bring him back now, so this may be another year he doesn't pass that benchmark.

Bassey had a torn ACL 18 months ago. Seems to get regular knee injuries many of them minor injuries.

I think he had injury problems in college too.

Bassey's sophomore season was cut short by a tibial plateau fracture he suffered against Arkansas that required surgery

[hwangjini_1]

just looked at the box score. what a bizarre night for the baby celtics. 5-27 on three pointers!!? 

aside from that, scheierman and bassey seemed to do well. how did walsh look. another odd game as he had 7 fouls and took 11 free throws.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I don't like when Lofton is in the game. I feel like he negatively impacts his teammates while he is out there. Hes like an anti floor general

And he's still better than Amari

I was hoping Amari would be a bit more ready to contribute, but he's not. He just doesn't seem hungry to rebound the basketball.

I still like him as an upside player on a two-way contract this year. This is Lofton's and Bassey's 3rd summer league, and Bassey has been playing fringe NBA minutes for 4 years now. I think Amari still shows the vision and passing that makes him intriguing, combined with his size and athleticism.

I'm hoping he can put together a couple of good games to end the summer league.

[Who]

Interesting Reddit thread on Bassey

https://www.reddit.com/r/NBASpurs/comments/1kyjra3/on_charles_bassey/

One really big downside is that I recall him getting cooked a lot on pick-and-roll defense. This may sound obvious, but guys like Jokic and Zubac and Hartenstein are like his kryptonite. He's kind of just too small for the job the Spurs gave him. Which, you know, may not be his fault because he was probably never going to be a good primary or back-up center.

He's athletic and can get blocks but he is a good third stringer nothing more. His IQ is pretty bad and he's out of position a lot on defense and offensively he's pretty limited. Decently good rebounder though.

Yeah he's not a great defender. Good rebounder and hustle player. But gets into foul trouble a lot and he simply can't stay healthy. Good for a third C, but not a true backup.

Foul trouble is mentioned a few times in the thread.

He?s always injured. He?s undersized. He relies on his athleticism. But he?s a good rebounder.

Edit: oh and he?s absolutely lost on both sides of the ball if he?s more than 3ft from the rim.

He's more Hassan Whiteside, to use your analogy. That is, he isn't really a good defender. Pretty low IQ and useless on offense outside of catching lobs

I don't think he intentionally sacks his positioning to chase blocks, but he's not as good a positional defender as one would think. He does try, it's just the defensive IQ isn't necessarily off the charts

Bassey is an interesting option as a 3rd string center but the injuries turn me off him. He misses too many games. I don't think he is worth signing despite his good play.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I feel if we don?t sign Bassey somebody else will.

agreed.  he'll make an NBA roster somewhere. 

still not seeing anyone this year looking like they'll be a help to the team.  Baylor's been doing some of the little things that are helpful but need to see him shoot a lot better than this.  Walsh looks like he's actually regressing to me.

Baylor is being asked to do a lot of things on offense that he won't need to. He will likely have 2 guys (and sometimes 3) that all are the primary shot creators over him. it'll be his job to play off of them and shoot spot ups. He has already proven he can do that.

Hugo is going to help the team this year. He will shift the energy with how hard he plays, hustles, and plays defense. I'd imagine that will only be for 10-15 minutes a night his rookie season.

I'm not seeing anyone else this year.

II have been pleasantly surprised by Shulga. I kinda' like him. He has some toughness and a control of the game. He's a little Austin-Reeves-ish. He's got a ways to go, but it'd be cool if he continued to get more confident over these last few games.