Dig deeper into this 2019 NBA Draft class and the big men that participated in this NBA Combine and you find a potential gem in the former five-star Western Kentucky Hilltoppers signee Charles Bassey. The solid scrimmage outings for Bassey proved a lot for him and helped his draft stock by themselves. Let alone what he did during the physical tests.
As a possible first round pick in this draft, Bassey had a lot of work to do at the combine. He participated in the scrimmages and tested pretty well. Bassey posted a solid wingspan at 7-foot-4 and good speed and vertical tests. At 6-foot-11 and 240 pounds, there were a lot of questions hovering around the draft stock of Bassey since we didn’t know how fast or vertical his game was.
How the skill set of Bassey will translate to the next level is also a big question mark. But he did show that he has more than enough leaping ability and quickness to thrive as a rotational piece at the NBA level. He had a 33-inch max vertical leap and a sub 3.3-second shuttle run time. All these testing numbers show that he should be a target of the Chicago Bulls if he falls into the second round.
A player like Bassey that averaged around 14 points per game and 10 boards to go along with 2.4 blocks has a lot of intrigue at the next level. He also started to develop more range from the field as his freshman campaign went by with Western Kentucky. Bassey shot just under 50 percent from three-point range on 20 attempts last season. He could have a lot of promise in the NBA.