Charles Bassey shines in Blue Coats victory over Motor City Cruise

The Delaware Blue Coats improved to a 20-9 record on Sunday, defeating the Motor City Cruise 125-118. This key win pushed the Coats above the Cruise in the Eastern Conference standings, where they now sit half of a game above them in third place.

This was another great display by Sixers’ assignee Charles Bassey – who has become one of the best bigs in the G League. Bassey put up 19 points (8-13 FG, 1-1 3PT), 11 rebounds, three assists, and five blocks in 27 minutes before fouling out.

There aren’t too many holes in Bassey’s game right now. He’s shown that he can move well, roll hard to the rim, and be a defensive presence for the Blue Coats. He has had some problems with staying out of foul trouble, but that’s typically the case for most young big men in the NBA. It’s great to see that aggression from Bassey – it’s what helped him get five blocks in only 27 minutes of time.

The Nigeria native made a name for himself at Western Kentucky as a dominant shot blocker, and that’s carried over in his professional career. He’s averaging an impressive 3.8 blocks per game in 28 minutes on the season. It’s unlikely that we’ll see him in action much at the NBA level, but the Sixers very well might have something in the former 53rd pick of the 2021 NBA draft. He’s got everything you want out of a modern big.

Sixers’ two-way player Myles Powell also shined in this performance. Powell has been on a scoring tear as of late, and he’s bumped his season scoring average all the way to 22.1 points per game on efficient shooting; 47.8 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from three. That’s good enough for a true shooting percentage of 64.8 percent.

Powell scored 23 points in only 14 minutes of play. He exited the game early due to an ejection from a double technical. While the ejection is unfortunate, it doesn’t take away the midseason development we’ve seen from Powell at the G League level. He can still improve his playmaking skills, but the shot creation and scoring value is there.

Aaron Henry, a familiar name to most, has also found his footing at the G League level. He was a solid two-way presence against the drive, playing 39 minutes and scoring 17 points to go along with his eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. I’m personally happy that Henry is still around the team in some capacity. The Sixers need some two-way wing talent and Henry is exactly that. I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets another look during Summer League or in next year’s training camp.

The Blue Coats number one draft pick in the 2021 G League Draft, Shamorie Ponds, dazzled in this performance. Ponds’ shooting has been up-and-down most of the season, but he’s shown that he can be a really good player when his shots are falling. Ponds managed to score more points than minutes played with 28 points (11-16 shooting) in just 24 minutes. Talk about an Embiid-esqe performance.

The Delaware Blue Coats are one of the deepest teams found within the G League, and their impressive record backs it up. They’ll be a force to be reckoned with when the postseason comes around. Speaking of postseason — the Coats clinched a playoff appearance with this victory. They’ll look to gain more ground against the Motor City Cruise tomorrow in an early 11 AM game, which will be streamed via ESPN+.