When Stephen Curry was out for 27 games, it was the young Golden State Warriors core that truly stepped up.One player who caught the 2x MVP’s eye 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.

“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 added, “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.”

At 6-foot-10 and a former five-star high school recruit after moving from Nigeria, Bassey’s strengths differ from those within Golden State’s stable of centers. It’s rare for a player signed in early April to make an immediate impact on the roster—something that even Stephen Curry has acknowledged.

“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 of those stops came against Alperen Sengun during his four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, after Porzingis fouled out.

With his 6’11” frame, Bassey is a strong pick-and-roll option, a capable rim protector, an active rebounder, and a reliable interior defender. This contrasts with Porzingis, Horford, and Post, whose offensive games are more perimeter-oriented, complementing the Warriors’ spacing but lacking Bassey’s interior presence.

Looking ahead to next season, if the Warriors choose to retain three of their four bigs, they will likely prioritize re-signing Porzingis and having Horford pick up his player option. That could leave Bassey—a traditional interior presence—as a more practical choice over 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 season after a promising rookie year, and injuries have only complicated matters. Meanwhile, Bassey has seized his opportunity.

Drafted 53rd overall in 2021, he hasn’t secured a long-term spot on an NBA roster, having had stints with the 76ers, Grizzlies, Celtics, and San Antonio Spurs. But Dub Nation may have finally found a place for him, especially with strong backing from Curry, Green, and Kerr.