NBA Draft: Knicks Should Look to Charles Bassey in the 2nd Round

The New York Knicks acquired a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft from the Marcus Morris trade last season. Western Kentucky big man Charles Bassey would be a great fit.

An under-the-radar part of the trade that sent Marcus Morris to the Los Angeles Clippers was the draft pick that the Knicks acquired. In that trade, the Clippers sent the New York Knicks a former Detroit Pistons-owned 2021 second-round pick. Now, New York will benefit from an extra selection.

New York is already set to have two first-round picks, so this could be a boom or bust selection that won’t carry a lot of weight as far as making the correct pick. But if the Knicks really want to ace the 2021 NBA Draft, it relies on how good of a choice they make in the second-round. Western Kentucky star Charles Bassey could potentially be a pick that helps give the New York Knicks an A+ grade in the upcoming draft.

Knicks: Why Charles Bassey?

There’s no secret that the New York Knicks are absolutely LOADED with guards. After drafting RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, it’s important for the Knicks to find a forward or two in this year’s NBA Draft to balance it out. Small-ball might be the current wave, but bigs still have a key part in making a team successful.

Charles Bassey is the type of big man that can fit into the small ball theme, yet be a dominant big man. At 6-foot-11 and 235 pounds, he has an athletic build and post-moves for consistent double-doubles at Western Kentucky. Now in his junior year, Bassey is putting up career highs of 18.0 points per game, 11.7 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks. He cleans up the glass and practically owns the paint.

But where these comparisons miss on is the type of athleticism he brings. Bassey isn’t just an athletic shot-blocker, but he has the quickness to run the floor just as well as guards. He has the unique ability as a big man to collect passes and go up quickly for strong dunks – a skill set that not many college basketball players are able to develop at that young age.

But even a step further, Bassey also has a consistent mid-range jump shot that forces defenders to close out. This combination of quickness and a jumper also keeps opponents guessing.

The Closing Case for Bassey

This might not be a popular pick. Sure, he was a former five-star, but he doesn’t exactly have a three-point shot. Although his jumper has some range, he is more prototypical to an Andre Drummond than a Nikola Jokic. But the energy and athleticism Bassey brings show the potential for him to develop a long-range shot.

If the New York Knicks do decide to draft Charles Bassey, he would bring a winning attitude and the toughness and hard-working attitude that New Yorkers and coach Tom Thibodeau loves. And with the futures of Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson up in the air, it may actually be a position that New York has to fill.

Need one more selling point? Current Knick Mitchell Robinson also went to Western Kentucky, so New York has had recent success with the Hilltoppers. Bassey’s game is comparable to Robinson’s, but I’d go further to say it’s even more developed offensively with a brighter upside. Charles Bassey to New York? Let’s start the bandwagon right now.