Charles Bassey is starting to generate rotation conflict in the Spurs frontcourt

With San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama missing three games before the huge win against Golden State, fans got a glimpse of what could be at backup center. The Spurs gave third-string center big man Charles Bassey playing time, and he reminded fans what he can do.

Prior to a knee injury derailing his season last year, Bassey was the team's backup center and played well in the role. He is a terrific rim protector and rebounder who has good hands and enough athleticism to make him an effective roll man. 

In an era where centers, Zach Collins included, are stepping out and taking threes, having a big man who can do the positional basics is underrated. To be clear, Collins is a better offensive player: he is a good passer, can score in the post, and has shot the ball well from three despite his recent slump. Even so, Bassey is a better defensive player, enough so that it makes them an even trade off. 

In the aforementioned three games Wembanyama missed, Collins averaged 16.7 points, six rebounds, and 1.4 blocks compared to Bassey's 7.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks while playing similar minutes. Collin's numbers jump out, but Bassey has made a strong case for rotation minutes.

Bassey's play demands more time on the floor

The Spurs are currently above .500 nearly 20 games into the season. That's surprisingly good for a team that won only about 25% of their games over the last two NBA campaigns. Part of their success has been their defense, which has jumped from 23rd in defensive rating last season to 11th this season.

Wembanyama has been impactful, and the Spurs have more personnel around to help him, even as Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan have missed significant time though they should return soon enough. Doubling down on defense could be a winning strategy, with Bassey potentially playing behind Wembanyama and even beside him like he did last season.

Against the Utah Jazz, Bassey shut down the paint, swatting six shots and visibly deterring Jazz players from taking shots near him around the rim.

Playing him would give the Spurs a shot blocker for all 48 minutes and take away easy looks in the paint. There are some offensive concerns, however. Less surrounding Bassey himself and more with the second unit overall, which features several non-shooters. Fortunately, the rotation will soon shift, with Vassell eventually rejoining the starting five, likely pushing another shooter to the bench.

Having more spacing on the floor is key to the Spurs' offense improving, and although Bassey won't help in that regard, he isn't a negative on that end and could add vertical spacing and offensive rebounding. Combine that with his defensive impact, and he should help the team maintain their momentum on that end of the floor.

Besides, if Zach Collins' shooting continues to regress, there's not much of a benefit to playing him over the Nigerian big man. The Silver and Black would be better off putting the extra defense on the court. It was the defense that led them to their win over the Warriors—more of it can only be a good thing.