cleveland cavaliers fans cringe when they hear his name. the rest of the nba can’t help but laugh. he represents one of the greatest scents in nba draft history. how a no. Did the No. 1 pick overall turn on so epically that he couldn’t even find a job four years into his career?
anthony bennett went from franchise savior to league laughingstock in the blink of an eye. he hasn’t played in the nba since 2017 so what went so wrong and where is he now?
anthony bennett was selected no. 1 overall by the cavaliers in the 2013 nba draft
anthony bennett says no. 1 to the cavaliers in the 2013 nba draft is one of the most puzzling moves in league history. The Toronto native played only one season at UNLV, and never really saw himself as a future superstar.
bennett averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in college, but much of his success can be attributed to the weaker competition he faced in the mountain west conference. At 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, Bennett was a commanding presence inside the paint in a league with few players who could match his size.
Sports Illustrated published a preliminary rating for Bennett after the draft, expressing concerns about his ability from the jump: “Is he a small forward or a power forward? what position will he be able to play in the nba? insufficient as a power forward and could have a hard time keeping up with the forwards, better post play would help round out his offensive game.”
spoiler alert: bennett never found that post-up game.
bennett played only four seasons in the nba
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bennett started as poorly as a rookie in his first few games with the cavaliers. He missed his first 15 shots in the first four games of his NBA career. After hitting a shot in the fifth game from him, Bennett went two more contests without scoring.
bennett shot an abysmal 35.6% from the field as a rookie. he never scored more than 19 points in his 52 games with the cavs. Obviously, Cleveland saw enough in the first year, so the team sent Bennett to the Timberwolves in 2014.
Unfortunately for Bennett, the change of scenery didn’t help much. He played 57 games for Minnesota and averaged just 5.2 points per game. After the season, he moved on to the Raptors, where he shot an almost impossible 29.6% from the field. Bennett then played his fourth year with the Nets before leaving the NBA in early 2017.
where is anthony bennett now?
once bennett realized that he was not going to find another job in the nba, he switched to the euroleague in 2017. bennett signed a contract with fenerbahçe, where he played 10 games and averaged just 1.2 points per match.
After a few seasons in the G League, Bennett got a second shot at the NBA with the Rockets in 2019. However, the team waived him before he could play a single game due to a knee injury. The power forward spent 2021 with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier Basketball League. the former no. 1 draft pick averaged 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds before being waived in early 2022.
In February 2022, Bennett joined the Kaohsiung Steelers from Taiwanese P. league+, according to taipei times. This made him the highest-drafted NBA player to compete in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League.
In addition to his basketball career, Bennett promotes a clothing line called Royalty Collection, according to his Instagram bio. Bennett also continues to play competitively for the Canadian national team when needed.
all stats courtesy of basketball-reference