Imago
Mar 13, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) stands near the team bench during a timeout against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Imago
Mar 13, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) stands near the team bench during a timeout against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
When Stephen Curry was out for 27 games, it was the young Golden State Warriors core that truly stepped up. One player that truly caught the 2x MVP’s eyes was not even on the roster at the beginning of the season. But that’s just what Charles Bassey has done, and his impact might alter the career of another 26-year-old teammate.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“It’s not going to go well for Quentin Post,” Mark Willard, the host of Willard & Dibs, said. “This is a nice kid. And I know they’ve been looking really hard for years and years for a stretch big. Guess what? They have two other ones now. And I know that Al Horford is really old, and I know that Kristaps Porzingis is potentially not going to be on the team next year. So I’m not saying release him (Post) or whatever, but I am saying after two basketball games of seeing that the skill set that Charles Bassey.
“Who had been tearing it up in the G League, seeing what he brings, which is a very different sort of vibe, and it’s something that I think Warrior fans have been longing for and the Warriors as a team have been missing. He is a real effort guy down low. And he can protect the rim. He looks like he plays pretty good defense; he finishes nicely around the rim; he’s just one of those guys. He’s a good rebounder and an effort guy who brings a physical presence inside and defensively. My apologies. Quentin Post is not good.”
Top Stories
At 6-foot-10 and a former five-star high-school recruit after moving from Nigeria, Bassey’s strengths differ altogether from those within Golden State’s stable of centers. In fact, it’s very rare for a player signed in early April to have an impact on the roster, which even Stephen Curry was pleasantly surprised by.
“It’s not gonna go well for Quinten Post…[Charles Bassey] brings a very different vibe, something Warriors fans have been longing for and the Warriors as a team have been missing.”
– @Mark_T_Willard on @WillardAndDibs. pic.twitter.com/uITBeKEFtI
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 9, 2026
“Last game I told him (Bassey), it’s like we’ve been playing the pick and roll for about 10 years. The first possession I got, he got a nice dunk. You can tell he has a really good feel, and he plays really aggressively in the paint. 14 & 12 we needed it, it was huge,” Curry said after the game against the Kings.
As Stephen Curry explained, Bassey has the vertical threat that the other three centers on the roster do not possess. The assessment was when the Nigerian star made an immediate impact after signing a short contract. Against the Rockets in under 10 minutes, Bassey had five points, four rebounds, and two blocks. Both those stops were against Alperun Sengun during his four-minute stretch in the fourth-quarter after veteran center Kristaps Porzingis fouled out.
So with the 6’11” size, Bassey is more than a capable threat for pick-and-roll, plus he is an able rim protector, very active rebounder, and a great interior defender. This is a completely different profile from what Porzingis, Al Horford, and Post have to offer. They have the size, but they are more live on the perimeter offensively, which only helps complement the lack of spacing the Warriors have.
For next season’s plans, if the Warriors only wish to retain three of their four bigs, they will probably first prioritize re-signing Porzingis and have Horford pick up his player option. Then they could choose the option for Bassey, a traditional big man, instead of Post, who will be a restricted free agent.
Apart from Stephen Curry, Bassey gets a vote of approval from other locker room voices
A case can be made that the Warriors wouldn’t have signed Bassey or previously Omer Yurtseven, if not for constant injuries to Horford and Porzingis. In fact, Post’s recent injury troubles also put a question mark over his availability, and Golden State wouldn’t likely invest in bigs if all three of them are not available. This was the case against the Kings, as Post has only played in six of the past 16 games. So, Bassey grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Coming from the bench, the 25-year-old played 27 minutes and shot 7-of-12 from the floor and finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, helping the Warriors secure the victory and lock into the 10th seed in the Western Conference. It also impressed Draymond Green. “He’s got really good hands,” Green said Tuesday night at Chase Center, after Bassey capped the fourth double-double of his five-year career. “That’s the one thing that’s kind of stood out most to me. He’s got really, really good hands. I think he’s getting more and more comfortable.”
In fact, the head coach, Steve Kerr, also had the same opinion. “He’s a really impressive player,” head coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday night. “Just the presence in the paint and ability to finish and score in there. He blocks shots and rebounds. Really active, good player.”
Post has had an underwhelming second year after a bright rookie season. And now, with injury troubles, Bassey has found that opportunity for himself on this Warriors team. Drafted 53rd in 2021, Bassey hasn’t stuck on an NBA roster – moonlighting for the 76ers, Grizzlies, Celtics, and San Antonio Spurs. But the Dub Nation could be his new home after all; the words of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Kerr hold weight.
