Did the Sixers let Charles Bassey go too soon? He’s thriving with Gregg Popovich and the Spurs.

Did the 76ers give up on Charles Bassey too early?

After being waived by the Sixers before the start of the season, the 6-foot-11, 235-pounder is starting to excel as Jakob Poeltl’s backup center with the San Antonio Spurs.

Bassey, who is on a two-way contract, is averaging 6.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 15.5 minutes in four appearances. In Friday’s 111-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, he finished with five points, a career-high 14 rebounds, career-tying four blocks, and four assists in 18 minutes.

As a result, Bassey became just the second player in NBA history to have 14 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists in less than 20 minutes, and the first to do it off the bench.

“He was something else today,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said following the game. “He just plays. He doesn’t know what the hell we are doing, but he catches up quickly and plays the game hard.

“He knows his role. He rebounds, blocks shots, runs the floor, and he does it with a lot of energy. He and Jakob have been a good pair in that regard.”

» READ MORE: Banged-up Sixers hold on to defeat Atlanta Hawks, 121-109, thanks to Joel Embiid’s 42 points

So did the Sixers give up on him too soon?

He would be a solid reserve rim protector for a Sixers defense that has struggled.

Bassey also is more of a true center than Sixers reserves Paul Reed and Montrezl Harrell. Both are undersized and more in the center/power forward model. Bassey’s not as good as former Sixers Andre Drummond or Dwight Howard, but he’s more similar to them than Reed (6-9) or Harrell (6-7), at least in stature.

His time as a Sixer was all but over the moment they signed Harrell in September.

That move dropped Bassey to fourth on the depth chart, and most NBA teams don’t have four centers.

Aside from giving All-Star center Joel Embiid occasional breathers at training camp, Bassey received only meaningful reps at one preseason practice. And that was only because Harrell was unable to practice because he was dealing with a rib injury.

Even with Embiid resting two games and Harrell sidelined for one, Bassey only played in the first of four preseason games. He finished with four points on 2-for-4 shooting along with a team-high nine rebounds, one block, and a steal in 14 minutes against the Brooklyn Nets.

So after waiving him and shooting guard Isaiah Joe on Oct. 13, the team still has an available roster spot to pick up a player of need.

When the two younger players were waived, the sense was the Sixers didn’t need a fourth-string center or another shooting guard who wouldn’t get minutes.

But one can argue that the Sixers should have traded Bassey, who was on a non-guaranteed contract, for assets instead of just releasing him, especially since they have yet to fill that roster spot.

The counter argument is Bassey didn’t have a lot of trade value because of a lack of playing time. That’s part of the reason why he signed the Spurs’ two-way deal. Most franchises wanted Bassey to sign an Exhibit 10 deal, which allows NBA teams to offer players a bonus for playing with their G League affiliates.

The expectation was he would play for their G League affiliate this season and be signed to the 15-man roster next season.

But Bassey wanted to show that he’s worthy of playing this season.

He’s appeared in two games with the Spurs G League affiliate in Austin, averaging 26 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks.

“He came in and played a couple of G League games, scored a thousand points,” Popovich told the media Wednesday. “It was like, well, maybe we’re dumb. We should be playing this guy.”

» READ MORE: What’s next for Charles Bassey? Charting the recently released Sixers center’s NBA journey and tenuous future

The fact is, the Spurs (6-7) provided an opportunity he wouldn’t have received with the Sixers or several other NBA teams at the moment.

San Antonio is in a rebuild and is trying to find young players who will stick. That’s why he got the opportunity. So this is great for him and San Antonio, where he now is gaining value.

But even though it’s a small sample size, he’s shown he could blossom into an impactful NBA player for seasons to come.

“Honestly, he’s impressed me with his athleticism,” Spurs standout Josh Richardson, a former Sixer, said to the media. “He knows how to play. I’ll tell him a play, and I’m like, ‘Do you know what you’re doing?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I got it.’ He picks up on this quick.”

The Spurs also quickly found out that Bassey plays coverages well, has a high basketball IQ, has good footwork, and can shoot the ball.

“I don’t think anybody has seen it that much, but I’ve seen his shot, and it looks nice,” Richardson said. “I think he has big things ahead of him if he stays focused.”

It’s not like the Sixers were unaware of this.

Bassey thrived in limited opportunities last season. He appeared in 23 NBA games, averaging 3.0 points on 63.6% shooting along with 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 7.3 minutes. Those numbers failed to show his true value.

He had solid defensive showings against the likes of two-time MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks and the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić.

On Friday, Spurs color commentator and former San Antonio star Sean Elliott kept raving over Bassey’s play against the Bucks. And why not?

In addition to his numbers, he was unselfish on offense. Bassey made 2 of 3 shots, including a three-pointer, while setting great screens.

On Wednesday, Bassey had 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting along with six rebounds, two steals, and a block in 16 minutes in a 124-122 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

» READ MORE: Sixers-Hawks takeaways: Doc Rivers’ busy day, Joel Embiid’s coming into form, and grueling series

On Saturday, one day after dominating the Bucks, Bassey tweeted a message, perhaps about the Sixers: “They didn’t believe in us GOD did.”

There’s a sense in San Antonio that the Spurs can rise out of the middle of the pack defensively with Bassey’s shot-blocking ability.

“I am a really good defender,” Bassey said. “That is one of the best parts of my game. I am going to make a living doing that.”

There’s no denying that he’s off to a great start and in a great situation in San Antonio.

This is a homecoming for the Nigerian, who was a standout at San Antonio’s St. Anthony Catholic High School. In addition, San Antonio is a really good organization, and Bassey’s getting an opportunity he wouldn’t have gotten on a playoff contender.

Sixers coach Doc Rivers was asked Saturday if he’s happy to see Bassey getting an opportunity he would not had gotten in Philly?

“Yeah, yeah, him and Isaiah,” he said. “I keep up with all the guys, for the most part, that I’ve coached, especially the young guys, you know? So yeah.”

So did the Sixers give up on him too soon?

His being waived will go down as a bad move if Bassey blossoms into a starting center at some point.

Right now, the jury is still out because four games is a small sample size. So it’s basically something to monitor. But, boy, does his great start make you wonder.