Bassey's unfortunate injury opens door to new opportunity for Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs announced that Charles Bassey has torn his ACL and will miss the remainder of the 2023–2024 NBA season. This is devastating news for Bassey, as he missed a chunk of last season due to an injury to the same knee. Bassey averaged three points, four rebounds, and one assist in an average of 10 minutes per game.

In a short span this season, the former 76er has shown a tenacity in his play, sometimes lacking from the rest of the roster. His aggressiveness and shot-deterring defense are always noticeable on the court making his injury much more than inconvenient for this young team than the average injury to a rotational big man.

Where do the Spurs turn to solidify their frontcourt

The Spurs recently elevated Sandro Mamukelashvili from their Austin G League affiliate after a 34-point, 22-rebound performance, but used Mamu sparingly in the recent loss to Houston. Moving Zach Collins to the bench and playing with four perimeter players to one big has shortened the minutes available to the Spurs bigs in general. But before San Antonio goes window shopping, they may want to look to Dominick Barlow for evaluation.

One of the issues the Silver and Black have had in the second half of the games is a lack of energy. Inserting Dominick Barlow may assist in that department, especially with the loss of Bassey. In the Summer League, Barlow averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds. Granted, the second-year big must prove himself and the thought of adding an even younger player to the youngest rotation in the league may seem counterintuitive. But one never knows if a diamond is in the rough without a little digging.