Bassey is likely out for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign after the Spurs confirmed Wednesday that the big man suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left patella during Tuesday's win over the Magic, Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Bassey was set to undergo further testing Wednesday after an initial diagnosis Tuesday presumed the fracture, and the second-year center didn't get positive news from those scans. Before the injury, Bassey had carved out a nice backup role in San Antonio, posting 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.7 steals in 17.2 minutes over his past 10 appearances (one start). However, he'll now have to turn his sights on preparing for the 2023-24 campaign. Bassey signed a four-year, $10.2 million deal with San Antonio in February, so the Spurs have faith they can develop the 23-year-old into a solid rotational piece over the next few years. In his absence, more minutes could be in store for Sandro Mamukelashvili and Gorgui Dieng.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Suffers knee fracture
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Bassey will undergo additional tests Wednesday after an initial diagnosis of the injury he suffered in Tuesday's 132-114 win over the Magic revealed a non-displaced fracture in his left patella, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Bassey scored two points (1-2 FG) and added two assists, one steal and one block in eight minutes before exiting the contest with the left knee injury. Heading into the contest, the second-year big man was averaging 8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 17.2 minutes across his last 10 appearances. The Spurs will presumably put Bassey through additional tests before confirming the diagnosis, but he looks as though he could be in danger of missing the rest of the season.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Won't return with knee issue
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Bassey will not return to Tuesday's game against Orlando due to a left knee injury, Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
This is a tough blow for the Spurs, as Bassey has been solid off the bench in recent weeks. He'll finish the game with two points, two assists, one steal and one block in eight minutes. If Bassey misses additional time, the Spurs could turn to Sandro Mamukelashvili.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Returns to bench
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Bassey isn't in the starting five for Friday's game versus Denver.
Zach Collins will replace Bassey in the starting lineup Friday. Bassey is averaging 8.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks in 16.7 minutes across his previous seven outings coming off the bench this season.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Efficient from field in loss
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Bassey closed with 14 points (7-10 FG, 0-1 FT), six rebounds, two assists and one block across 25 minutes during Sunday's 142-110 loss to the Rockets.
Bassey missed only three of his 10 shots and was one of the team's top scorers in a game where the entire offense sputtered, as San Antonio ended up suffering a massive 32-point loss. With Zach Collins (undisclosed) and Jeremy Sochan (knee) sidelined Sunday, Bassey started for the first time since Dec. 14, and he's now scored in double digits in three of his last six contests.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Starting Sunday
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Bassey will start Sunday against the Rockets, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Bassey will earn the second start of his career with Zach Collins out with an undisclosed injury, and he looks like an attractive streamer with a favorable matchup against the Rockets. In his only previous start this season (Dec. 14 vs. POR), Bassey put up six points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 20 minutes.
Spurs' Charles Bassey: Scores season-high 16 points
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Bassey finished with 16 points (7-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one steal across 19 minutes during Thursday's 142-116 loss to the Mavericks.
Bassey missed just one shot en route to a season-high 16 points. The second-year backup center has appeared in three straight games and has averaged 8.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals-plus-blocks in 15.3 minutes during that stretch. With Jakob Poeltl now in Toronto and Khem Birch (knee) still not available, Bassey has a chance to carve out a solid backup role in San Antonio's frontcourt, though the impending return of Jeremy Sochan (quadriceps) may limit his opportunities moving forward.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Grabs 11 boards
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Bassey amassed four points (2-10 FG, 0-2 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 14 minutes during Wednesday's 120-110 loss to Charlotte.
Bassey has now played in two straight games after missing most of January and a good chunk of February tending to a leg injury. He's been unable to provide much on the offensive end, but he's secured eight and 11 rebounds in his two appearances this week. Bassey should continue to serve as the backup center to Zach Collins after the break.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Inks four-year deal
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The Spurs signed Bassey to a four-year, $10.2 million deal Tuesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Bassey has appeared in 25 games (one start) for the Spurs this season and is averaging 4.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals-plus-blocks across 13.6 minutes. He spent most of January at the G League level, but he reclaimed the backup center role behind Zach Collins on Monday, posting six points and eight rebounds in 13 minutes. Given his new deal, it appears San Antonio may envision the second-year big man out of Western Kentucky as the future starting center after the departure of stalwart Jakob Poeltl at the trade deadline.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Reclaims backup center role
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Bassey (lower leg) finished Monday's 117-109 loss to the Cavaliers with six points (2-3 FG, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds and one steal.
Bassey has spent much of the past month in the G League, but he hadn't played for the Austin Spurs since Jan. 28 due to a sore left lower leg. The second-year big man was cleared to rejoin the NBA team over the weekend, however, and he evidently demonstrated that he was healthy enough to play Monday. Head coach Gregg Popovich deployed Bassey as the top backup to starting center Zach Collins, moving veteran Gorgui Dieng out of the rotation in the process while Isaiah Roby shifted over to the backup power forward role. Bassey turned in quality per-minute numbers, and though his overall upside will remain capped so long as Collins is healthy, the former should still be an asset in deeper leagues if he consistently sticks in the backup center role on a game-by-game basis.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Available to play
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Bassey (leg) will be available to play Monday versus the Cavs, independent NBA writer Matthew Tynan reports.
This will be Bassey's first game since Jan. 7, so he'll likely have his minutes monitored Monday night. He's returning to a much different situation in San Antonio with Jakob Poeltl now in Toronto, so he could be operating as Zach Collins' backup. However, he's shown this season that he's capable of putting up fantasy-relevant stat lines even if he doesn't clear the 20-minute mark, so keep an eye on him.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Iffy for Monday's contest
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Bassey is listed as questionable for Monday's matchup against the Cavaliers with left lower leg soreness, Paul Garcia of ProjectSpurs.com reports.
Bassey was upgraded Sunday from a two-way deal to a standard NBA contract, but he continues to nurse an injury that he picked up while playing with the G League's Austin Spurs in late January. If the second-year big man is able to play through the injury Monday, he'll fill a depth role in the San Antonio frontcourt behind starting center Zach Collins.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Gets standard NBA deal
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The Spurs informed Bassey (foot) on Sunday that he'll have his two-way contract converted into a standard NBA deal, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Bassey was nearing his 50-day limit for time that two-way players are allotted to spend at the NBA level for the season, and since the 22-year-old center is still viewed as a high-priority developmental option for the rebuilding Spurs, the team was keen on clearing a spot for him on the 15-man roster. San Antonio facilitated the open roster spot by waiving veteran forward Stanley Johnson. Bassey had seen his most recent action in the G League, but he hadn't played with the Austin Spurs due to a sore left foot. The issue isn't viewed as a long-term concern, however, and Bassey looks as though he could be available as a bench option for San Antonio's next game Monday in Cleveland.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Remains out Saturday
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Bassey (foot) won't be available for the Spurs in Saturday's game against the Hawks, as he remains on assignment with the G League's Austin Spurs, Ty Jager of PoundingTheRock.com reports.
Bassey hasn't suited up for Austin since Jan. 28 on account of a sore left foot, missing five consecutive G League games in the process. Even though he'll remain with the G League affiliate, it's unclear if he'll be able to play through the injury in Austin's matchup Saturday with the Birmingham Squadron.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Dealing with injury
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Bassey didn't play Thursday against the Blue due to soreness.
The loss of Bassey is huge for Austin, as he's one of the team's main contributors on both ends of the court. There's no clear timetable for his return.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Scores 11 in 12 minutes
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Bassey notched 11 points (5-7 FG, 1-1 3Pt), three rebounds, an assist and a block across 13 minutes in Saturday's loss to the Vipers.
It's unclear why Bassey ended up playing only 12 minutes, but if he's forced to miss time, this would represent a massive blow for Austin. Bassey is averaging 22.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game this season.
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Spurs' Charles Bassey: Leads Austin in scoring
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Bassey posted 28 points (14-17 FG, 0-1 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block across 31 minutes in Tuesday's loss to Sioux Falls.
Bassey was excellent from the field and barely missed a few shots in a dominant performance, but his efforts were not enough to lift Austin to victory here. He's been massive for Austin and is averaging 21.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game on the season.
Spurs' Charles Bassey: Comes close to double-double
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Bassey had 15 points (6-13 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), nine rebounds, an assist and a block across 31 minutes in Monday's 112-98 loss to Stockton.
Bassey came up just one rebound short of a double-double, and while he has been inconsistent at the NBA level, he's done enough to be a consistent contributor for Austin in the G League. Despite the team's struggles, Bassey should remain one of Austin's most reliable offensive threats on a game-to-game basis.
