Charles Bassey enjoyed a honeymoon period to start his career at the Golden State last season. The campaign was effectively over from the time he signed a 10-day contract, giving the former second-round pick an opportunity to stake his claim for a role going forward.
Bassey did just that and was rewarded with a minimum contract in free agency, yet the Warriors’ latest signing, Graham Ike, puts pressure on the 25-year-old to perform early in the season to solidify his NBA future.
Charles Bassey’s Warriors honeymoon is over after Graham Ike signing
Ike joins the Warriors after an impressive summer league campaign as the starting center on the championship-winning team. He figures to be a solid insurance measure behind Bassey and the injury-prone veteran duo of Kristaps Porzingis and Charles Bassey, but the undrafted big man surely won't be content with just waiting in the wings for injuries to teammates ahead of him.
As much as Bassey may enter training camp as Golden State's third-string center, it's not impossible to suggest Ike could go past him with a strong preseason and despite being on a two-way contract.
We've seen in recent years that Steve Kerr isn't afraid to utilize two-way contracted players if they've earned opportunity, and Ike is coming off an extensive college career where he was named to the All-NBA Third Team with Gonzaga last season.
The Warriors have chosen Ike over 54th overall pick Lajae Jones, suggesting they're optimistic of his chances of making an impact with the team early on and developing into a long-term player for the franchise.
Charles Bassey still has to secure his own Warriors future
For as impressive as Bassey was at the end of last season, it was nonetheless a very brief sample size at a time where Golden State's Play-In fate was sealed and the win-loss results didn't matter.
It's also a reality that Bassey played just 12 total games last season across four different teams, and the lack of security over his future was further proven in his minimum contract only being partially guaranteed.
Now Bassey has a new teammate in Ike who's starting below him but is still looking to stake his own claim as the third-string center. Perhaps that serves to bring an increased level of competitiveness that is productive for both players, but Bassey will need to be careful otherwise Ike could go past him and leave the 25-year-old needing to find another NBA home.
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