NBA Draft 2021: Evaluation of Western Kentucky center Charles Bassey

OFFENSE

While we could argue that Charles Bassey is still learning the ropes in offense, he has cemented his All-American defensive displays with a dominant role and production for WKY in a variety of ways. Let’s check them all.

Post Up / PNR / Rebounding

Bassey is particularly efficient in post-ups and paint finishes, carving space close to the basket and dunking any entry passes and dimes that go his way. He leverages his size and power to establish position, sucking-in defenses and opening the floor for his teammates. Bassey’s touches down-low are key for the Hilltoppers and his big man gravity takes the main stage: he’s equally dangerous as lob target, as cutter from the dunker spot, and in ball-screen offense.

Versatile in the PNR and DHO, Bassey will go for the hard screen or slip the pick to his advantage, asking for the ball and quick to execute as roll-man. In the post, Bassey is more of a ‘know-how’ guy with huge hands and touch. He outmuscles and beats matchups with the jump-hook moving across the key from the right block, or sealing and finishing with his preferred right hand in the left block.

Bassey’s footwork and fakes are improvable though, as he relies on his physical advantage and bits of raw explosiveness. All the same, his 74% at the rim with only half of those buckets on the back of an assist are quite impressive (by hoop-math.com)

Bassey’s other source of scoring at the rim are the second-chances, tips and put-backs he gets crashing the glass. 22.4% of Charles’ points at the hoop comes this way. While he’s by now a monster under his own board, he’s shown his feel and dominance in the offensive glass with 3.5 per game.

Bassey always follows his own misses, catches the ball with both hands, and doesn’t need to bring it down to finish the play emphatically. Being a solid two-feet leaper, he possesses a terrific second jump that allows him to tip the ball or just keep the play alive. Having such a beast in the roster helps as a sort of insurance policy for WKY’s shooters and drivers alike, increasing the team’s confidence and FG%.

Shooting & Dribble

Charles Bassey’s FT clip around or above 75% in his WKY career is not only superb for a big man but also an obvious hint that expanding his range will come together at some point in the future. It’s still early days, but that future seems to be here already, driven by the many hours Bassey spent on his own or with a personal trainer in the gym during his recovery.

Enough time to grow his 3pt shooting volume to almost two attempts per game at 29%. His sound mechanics proves it was time well spent. Charles has a clean one-motion stroke with wrist and elbow perfectly lined up under the basketball, and a squared base although with little lift on his jump shot. His release is smooth although he needs time and space to get it going and mostly does so off the catch from the frontal-three spot. But overall, results and execution are encouraging.

Lately, he’s even brought jab steps and pump fakes into play as he adds a reliable Pick and Pop threat to his package. Bassey’s shooting includes the midrange, notably with the baseline jumper, which has upgraded his options on-the-ball. To be fair Bassey had displayed his handles in different youth events before, but his improved shot and face-up ability allow him to take on other big men off the bounce with crossovers and log steps more and more. He won’t settle for less; all the way to the rim for easy layups or drawing contact for trips to the charity stripe.

Transition / Passing

Bassey’s athleticism and fluidity are at their best in the open court when he runs the floor hard wreaking havoc into the unsettled defenses. He’s extremely powerful and light for a 6´11 guy, and can put the ball on the deck for a grab-and-go action, able to control his body in traffic, and skilled enough to finish the fast-break with timed layups.

Anyway, Bassey’s habits in transition are well known by now: he usually operates as an off-the-ball target that secures the rebound, kicks it to the ball handler, and owns the central lane at speed. High motor big by trade, he gets rewarded for all his efforts with neat dishes and spectacular lobs; it’s all about savage dunks and breath-taking posters down the hill.

Although Bassey holds a record of 2.3 TOs per game and his passing ability is still a work in progress, he’s shown intriguing signs as a passer and some talent to read the game. We shouldn’t expect him to become a playmaking 5, but Bassey has developed an effective high-low partnership with Carson Williams feeding the 6’5 forward regularly with lobs from the top of the key.

His next step in this regard should be developing vision in short-roll situations and kicking the ball to standstill shooters when he gets doubled in the low-blocks. If those come consistently and he can run some high-post offense feeding backdoors and cutters, his modern-big man prospects will go a long way.