For the Golden State Warriors, it's been a season full of surprising contributions.
Gui Santos stepped up from the hustle-oriented, role-player status he took on last season to assume major offensive responsibilities. Brandin Podziemski elevated his aggression, with varying results across the board. Even Malevy Leons and Nate Williams have had integral roles to play over the past few weeks.
In some ways, it's actually been quite fun. If you ignore the fact that they're now stuck in the 10th seed and facing down a pair of play-in matchups on the road, that is.
Nevertheless, Charles Bassey has been quite an entertaining addition. He's looked like a strong frontcourt contributor through his first two appearances with Golden State, bruising his way into rebounds and layups and even catching a couple blocks in the process.
But Bassey's performance could have implications beyond even the limited context of this season. If he does enough to stick on the Warriors' roster next season, his arrival could seriously soften the potential blow of Al Horford's looming departure.
Al Horford's departure largely feels inevitable at this point
When the Warriors landed Al Horford last offseason despite their financial stagnancy, it wasn't due to a complete lack of suitors. Horford signed with Golden State because he thought they would give him a chance to compete for a championship.
As he reaches age 40, Horford will need to take a long, hard look at his $6 million player option this offseason. The Warriors will be missing two vital starters in Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler until at least the middle of their next campaign. They weren't particularly inspiring in the early portions of this season, either.
If he feels he has a better chance at contention as a backup big with another organization, it's only the respectable thing for him to move on.
Charles Bassey and Kristaps Porzingis are an intriguing frontcourt pairing
Bassey would certainly not be a one-for-one replacement for Horford. They are, frankly, completely different players.
But the Warriors have solved their need for an floor-spacing big man with their acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis. If they are able to bring him back this offseason on a cheaper contract (which feels likely), he will be cemented as the starting center moving forward.
Quinten Post, meanwhile, is a restricted free agent. If he's brought back, some combination of Porzingis and Post could be relatively viable. There's certainly some offensive skill there.
But what that combination does not possess is a player who can muck things up — a piece who can be physical against bigger frontcourts and who can play with reckless abandon in the paint when needed. Bassey, for all the offensive deficits in his game, is certainly that type of player.
Even putting Bassey alongside Porzingis in certain lineups could be a viable option for the Warriors to explore. They would still need to acquire a third center, of course, or retain one of Horford or Post. But Bassey's skill-set is something unique to Golden State's current rotation.
If Horford is gone this offseason, Bassey could be in line for a role as a backup big man. He wouldn't be able to replace Big Al's presence, but he could be exactly the type of rotational player this team needs.