Celtics Summer League standout center Charles Bassey is not planning on playing overseas next season, sources told CelticsBlog. Multiple outlets previously reported that he was seriously considering signing with the Serbian club Partizan Belgrade, but he currently plans to play in the NBA next season.
Bassey would especially love to sign with the Celtics if the opportunity presented itself, sources said. How realistic that might be remains to be seen.
After waiving JD Davison, the Celtics have one open roster spot. But, as the roster currently stands, signing a 15th player would put them back over the second apron, something the team has actively worked to get below this offseason.
Brad Stevens has been explicit about that, noting that several offseason moves — like the Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis trades — were the result of the penalties associated with the team’s payroll exceeding $207.8 million.
“The second apron is why those trades happened,” Stevens said. “I think that is pretty obvious. And the basketball penalties associated with those are real.”
The Celtics currently have a fairly thin frontcourt, with Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and Xavier Tillman all in the mix. Queta, who Bobby Manning of CLNS Media reported had offseason knee surgery, looks to be the likely starting center, while Garza and Tillman should both play rotation minutes.
Charles Bassey was a standout Summer League performer
Bassey, a 24-year-old center, was the Celtics’ most consistent player at Summer League, averaging 15.3 points and 11 rebounds per game (4 offensive). He shot 70.4% from the field across three games, two of which were wins.
After he made his Summer League debut with the Celtics, Bassey explained why he was drawn to joining the Celtics, citing his impressions of the players and coaches: “It’s just the culture.”
Bassey, who has only played for one playoff team in four NBA seasons, is said to be very attracted to the team’s record of sustained winning.
“They go to the playoffs every year,” Bassey said in Las Vegas. “So, obviously, just learning from those guys, it’s great for me. I went to the playoffs one time. But it’s been good, man… I’m just going to learn a lot from those guys.”
Summer League head coach Matt Reynolds said that Bassey joined the team right before the first day of training camp, and that he was able to participate in the live portion of the second day of camp.
“It was just clear that that guy could make an impact in the game, and you saw that throughout the course of the game today,” Reynolds said after the Nigerian center recorded 14 points (7-8 FG), 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 18 minutes. “I think he was huge for us.”
What Charles Bassey’s tenure in the NBA has looked like to date
Since being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers 53rd overall in 2021, Bassey has played in the NBA for four seasons, appearing in 113 games. He spent his rookie season in Philadelphia and played for the San Antonio Spurs for the last three seasons.
Last season with the Spurs, he appeared in 36 games before suffering an injury midseason. But he had a strong first half of the year, averaging 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game.
It’s hard to know what that would look like scaled up; Bassey averaged 15.1 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per 36 minutes last season. (For reference, Neemias Queta, who is likely to be the Celtics’ starting center next year, averaged 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes last year. It’s not a perfect comparison.)
Charles Bassey is the second player in NBA history to have 14 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 assists in less than 20 minutes played and the first player in league history to do it off the bench pic.twitter.com/i6qku6YVKX
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) November 12, 2022
Rebounding and rim protection have long been Bassey’s strengths. When asked what he brings to an NBA team, Bassey said: “Great effort, my rebounding, blocking shots, rim protection. I bring great defense to the team. And I just play my role. I know what the team needs from me, I know what they want from me, and I do it every night.”
League sources said there is some concern regarding Bassey’s injury history — the 6’10 center suffered a fracture in his left patella in 2023 and later tore his ACL. He missed the second half of last season with an MCL injury.
But, Bassey played on both nights of a back-to-back with the Celtics last month and is now fully cleared for NBA action.
It remains to be seen whether the Celtics end up having the cap space, or sufficient interest, to sign Bassey. But, contrary to previous reports, sources say Bassey is currently not planning on playing in Europe next season. And, Boston is a destination he is particularly fond of.
