Is There Still Hope For Anthony Bennett in the NBA?

This was not how things were supposed to transpire for Anthony Bennett when he decided to leave UNLV and was the No.1 overall draft pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.

Yet, it is still undecided if this story is going to turn into a cautionary tail for young basketball players who fall victim to their own hype, or a story of triumph for a player that fought off the “bust” label.

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According to cbssports.com, the former Mountain West Conference standout had his contract bought out by the Minnesota Timberwolves, making this the second team in two seasons to not see any use for his talent.

Bennett decided to cash in a productive freshman season at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas where he was named MWC “Freshman of the Year” after averaging 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds on 53.3% shooting from the floor, to declare for the 2013 NBA Draft.

Due to the fact that the 2013 NBA Draft was considered an overall weak draft, there was uncertainty about who should be taken No.1 overall that summer in the first place between Indiana’s Victor Oladipo and Bennett.

In the end, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were making the pick during the aftermath of having LeBron James leave the franchise for Miami, decided to take Anthony Bennett at the top spot of the draft in hopes of him being a piece that they could rebuild with.

However, that selection turned out to be a waste of time, and Bennett struggled in his rookie year to get playing time and results on the floor averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds on a meager 35.6% shooting from the field.

Last season, after LeBron James made it clear that he was going to be “coming home” to Cleveland, the Cavs traded Anthony Bennett along with 2014 No.1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins to bring in proven NBA veteran Kevin Love in hopes of building a championship contender.

Cleveland became the championship contender that they expected to be, while Anthony Bennett showed flashes in of brilliance, but continued to flounder in finding his game in the “Twin Cities”.

Once again Bennett had a horrible time trying to find his stride with a rebuilding franchise averaging 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.7 minutes of work.

That output is a big contributor to why the T-Wolves have decided to buy out the remainder of his contract making the 22-year-old power forward a free agent.

This leads to a very important question, “Is Bennett being shipped around because teams can’t find a use for him, or because he is not as good as his No.1 draft selection suggests?”.

Jan 7, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Bennett (24) shoots the ball against the Phoenix Suns in the first quarter at Target Center. The Suns win 113-111. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Keep in mind that when Bennett left the college ranks to declare for the draft it was done more for the fact that he was cashing in on a monster freshman year that caused his draft stock to skyrocket, and less about the fact that he had nothing more to prove on the collegiate level.

Though he was dominant on the college level, it was not the kind of dominance that left hoop fans with the mindset that he was going to get to the pros and totally dominate on the NBA level from day one.

This is a player that was not able to guide his Running Rebels past a “not so hot” California Golden Bears squad in the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament, though individually he had 25 points in the contest.

Bennett was solid against MWC competition, but not dominant enough to say that there was no need for extra seasoning in college.

Then when you look at how his game is, he does not have the overall game that enhances your team.

At best, Bennett is a power forward at 6-foot-8, 240 pounds who might be able to finish on the break, get on the offensive boards, and play off the pick-and-roll going towards the rim.

But he lacks the one power forward trait that really matter for today’s era of NBA basketball — the ability to stretch the floor and knock down jumpers with consistency.

In the age of “stretch forwards”, Bennett simply does not have the skill set to be one just yet. He has shot 20 of 76 (26.3%) from three-point range for his career.

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So what does his contract buyout mean for him going forward?

It is not like he is going to turn into Draymond Green overnight, but fortunately he is young enough to develop his game and have a significant impact in the NBA at some point.

The Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers are rumored to have an interest in Bennett now that he has his new found freedom.

There is still hope for the story of Anthony Bennett’s NBA career to have a positive outcome and not a crash and burn ending.

But as of right now the uncertainty about Anthony Bennett’s viability in the NBA is justified until he is able to break through into a teams’ lineup and get consistent minutes.

The last thing that any No.1 draft pick wants attached to their name is the word “Bust”, but as of right now, Cleveland and Minnesota have spotted Anthony Bennett with the “B” and the “U” in consecutive seasons.

Next: Four-Star Guard Shamorie Ponds Deciding Between Three Big East Rivals

Mountain West Basketball: Is There Still Hope For Anthony Bennett in the NBA?

By James Fitzgerald | Sep 22, 2015

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