The Warriors’ search for a third center may not have to go far.
With Quinten Post officially headed to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday after signing a three-year, $30 million contract, Golden State suddenly has a hole to fill behind Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. But the most familiar answer might already be the one sitting in free agency: Charles Bassey.
Bassey became a quick favorite in Golden State late last season, even though he only played five games. That small sample was enough to get fans pushing for a return, and now that Post is gone, the noise around a reunion makes even more sense.
The 25-year-old big man is still trying to lock down a permanent NBA spot. Last season, he appeared in 13 games with four different teams, bouncing around on 10-day and hardship deals. Still, the Warriors’ current summer league group of Graham Ike and Lachlan Olbrich hasn’t changed the feeling that Bassey is the leading candidate for the main roster.
Warriors insider Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area said Bassey appears to have the inside track.
..." Bassey still seems to have the edge on being the 3rd center on this roster and obviously he's very different from both Kristaps (Porzingis) and also Al (Horford).
Those guys can go outside and shoot," Poole said. "That's not what he does.
Bassey is a dirty work guy. He gets into the paint and disrupts things, good screen setter.
I keep saying it, he's like a more athletic Kevon Looney."
That’s the appeal. Bassey gives Golden State a different kind of center, one built more for the paint than the perimeter. In his five games with the Warriors, he showed enough to matter: two double-doubles, 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in just 20 minutes a night.
But there’s a catch if he ends up in a bigger role.
Bassey’s value comes from doing something Porzingis and Horford do not. The problem is that if one or both veterans are unavailable, Golden State would have to adjust its style. The spacing would take a hit next to Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr might have to lean more heavily on pick-and-roll to get the most out of Bassey.
That’s part of why Post mattered so much. Even if he wasn’t going to be in the rotation every night, he could slide into the offense and function in a similar way to Porzingis and especially Horford as a floor-spacing catch-and-shoot option.
That option may no longer be available. If so, Bassey looks like the best fit left - and after the way he played down the stretch, he’s earned another shot.
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