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The Boston Celtics' 2024 championship was built on depth. However, following a devastating injury to Celtics star Jayson Tatum, a pair of salary-dumping trades, and expected losses in free agency, Boston no longer has elite depth — especially at center. A potential solution at the five spot may have just arrived during the Celtics Summer League, though.
Charles Bassey is not a household name in the NBA, yet he's certainly made a name for himself this summer. After joining the Celtics in Las Vegas just days before their first outing, Bassey has been a pleasant surprise for Boston.
The 6-foot-10 center recorded 14 points in just 18 minutes off the bench on Friday afternoon, helping the Celtics earn a 92-78 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. He also contributed a pair of blocks and a game-high 11 rebounds while missing only one of his eight field goal attempts.
Bassey's second act in Sin City was even better. On Sunday night, the big man notched a team-high 22 points during a 94-81 win against the New York Knicks. His 13 rebounds and three blocks were also team-highs and despite shooting around 65% from the free throw line for his NBA career, Bassey drained all six of his foul shots versus New York.
Charles Bassey tonight vs. NYK:
– 22 points
– 13 rebounds
– 3 blocks
– 6/6 FTHe’s been very impressive at a position of need for the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/IaqilKMd6V
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) July 13, 2025
Statistics aside, Bassey was everywhere he needed to be on Sunday. He had great positioning after most of the Celtics' shot attempts and drew a few fouls while fighting for loose balls. That kind of presence could be of great use to the C's, who have only a handful of true centers at the moment, including rookie Amari Williams, first-year Celtic Luka Garza, and third-year Celtic Neemias Queta.
Where was Charles Bassey before Summer League?
Although Bassey isn't as experienced as former backup Celtics center Luke Kornet, neither are any of the other current options.
Since his rookie year in 2021, Bassey has played in 113 NBA games. He started his career with the Philadelphia 76ers and their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, before heading south to join the San Antonio Spurs. The Nigeria native, who grew up playing soccer instead of basketball, spent his last three seasons in Texas and averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds over the course of 35 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
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
While Bassey has never averaged more than 15 minutes per outing in a season, the same can be said for Garza and Queta. Celtics big Xavier Tillman Sr. — who, at 6-foot-7, is a stretch five at best — has more experience than Bassey and company, yet his last season with the Celtics was disappointing and not enough to guarantee his spot on the roster, which is full at present.
In past years, Bassey's fate would be largely inconsequential for the Celtics. But with Kornet and former starting center Kristaps Porzingis out of the picture (and free agent center Al Horford likely gone), his future is a lot more intriguing.
Perhaps he could earn an invitation to training camp in September and work his way towards making the roster and helping Boston address a position of need, as de facto Celtics general manager Brad Stevens admitted that center was a point of weakness for his squad.
“That will not be the group that people will single out, based on paper, on what they've done with their careers thus far, as our strongest position,” Stevens said of his bigs on Tuesday. “But it's up to them to prove it otherwise.”
Whether or not Bassey can establish himself long-term in Boston isn't completely his call, but continuing his streak of Summer League double-doubles will only serve him well. He'll get an opportunity on Monday evening to post three in a row when the Celtics face the Miami Heat at 8 p.m. EST.
