Portland Trail Blazers: 5 players to trade into the NBA draft for
By Ty Delbridge
Players the Portland Trail Blazers should trade into the NBA draft for: 4. Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
The Blazers drafting Charles Bassey would kill two birds with one stone. It helps fill a need down low at the center position, and it’s a selection of a player who has some big-time potential upside. Bassey is a former five-star recruit who played in college at Western Kentucky University for three seasons and is still only 20.
He had a leg injury that forced him to miss most of the 2019-20 season, but he bounced back nicely in 2020-21, winning the conference’s player of the year award.
Bassey, in his career, averaged 15.9 points,10.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 59.6 percent from the field, 31.9 percent from the 3-point line and 76.8 percent from the free-throw line.
He is 6’11”, 235 pounds, and is super athletic for a big man. On offense, Bassey is an excellent rim running finisher who is a strong rebounder and also has the ability to step out to the mid-range and 3-point line to knock down shots.
Defensively, if Bassey is committed, he is going to be a force. His strong body, long arms and athleticism should make him an elite shot-blocker in the NBA like he was in college. As he gets stronger, he should be able to bang down low with any big man in the league.
Nurkic has one more left on his deal with the Blazers and then is set to be a free agent. Adding a big man with two-way skill to back him up and maybe eventually replace him if needed would be a smart move for the Blazers. The Ringers NBA Draft Guide says Bassey has shades of Jusuf Nurkic in his game, and if that’s the case, he might be able to find even more success playing in Portland.