Anthony Bennett was the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2013 and even at the time many people considered that pick a huge surprise. Most people agreed that Bennett was an extremely talented player with a lot of upside, but first overall was a stretch. Mock drafts had Bennett being taken in the lottery, but closer to No. 10 than No. 1.
Bennett's career, so far, has been proof that he was clearly not deserving of the No. 1 overall pick. He's in his third season in the NBA and has been on three different teams, all while not having proven much of anything.
Bennett was hopeful that this year would be his breakout season as he signed with his hometown team, the Toronto Raptors, and hoped to get his career on the right path. Instead, he was barely in the rotation at all this season and the Raptors decided to waive him. They replaced Bennett on their roster with Jason Thompson, who was previously released by the Warriors to make room for Anderson Varejao.
After being drafted by the Cavaliers and spending one season there, Bennett was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the Kevin Love trade. Bennett played one underwhelming season in Minnesota and was bought out prior to this year despite the Timberwolves being a young, bad team. He had options for where he could sign, but he chose to go home to the Raptors despite the fact that playing time would be tough to come by there.
Bennett only appeared in 19 games with the Raptors for a total of 85 minutes before being released, and it is time to wonder what is next for the 6-foot-8 forward. Bennett is considered by some to be one of the biggest draft busts of all-time, but there are some positives that go along with him.
He's still just 22 years old, so there is still plenty of time for him to figure it out and become a good NBA player. Also, although he hasn't shown it yet, he has a lot of talent.
Although Bennett likely shouldn't have been selected first overall, he was still a highly regarded prospect that a lot of NBA people thought had a high ceiling. While it may seem like the end for Bennett because three teams already gave up on him, it certainly shouldn't be. His talent is still there, and there will be teams that should take a low-risk, high-reward chance on him just in case he does figure it out. Granted, three years is a long time to have not figured it out yet, but Bennett is still extremely young - even by NBA standards - so he should still be given his chances to make something of his career.
