Anthony Bennett was supposed to be the second coming of Larry Johnson, but at this point he’d be lucky to finish his NBA career as the next Pervis Ellison. On Monday, the NBA’s worst team ended its chapter in the story of arguably the worst No. 1 overall pick in NBA history, as the Brooklyn Nets waived Bennett to make room for Quincy Acy, who joins the team on a 10-day deal.
In 23 games this season for the 8-28 Nets, Bennett averaged 5 points in 11.5 minutes per game. Hardly the kind of numbers we’d expect from a top draft pick, but it certainly cements our belief that this was by far his best contribution to the 2016-17 NBA season:
I'M DEAD (via @NBA_Reddit/@shaqtin) pic.twitter.com/uy7j0oouwE
— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) October 11, 2016
The moment that Bennett’s name was called, when the Cavaliers selected him No. 1 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, analysts and experts wondered what the hell they were thinking (let us never forget Bill Simmons’ incredible reaction). He certainly showed promise in his freshman season at UNLV, but he was dealing with a shoulder injury that required surgery, and he still averaged less than 30 minutes per game. Obviously, that draft was loaded with questions marks, especially with guys who could play PF and SF, but it sure is fun to look back and wonder what Cleveland would look like now with Giannis Antetokounmpo (even though they still might have dealt him for Kevin Love; but who cares, this is my day-dreaming scenario, not yours).
What’s next for Bennett will be left to the basketball gods and/or desperate GMs. The safe bet is that he’ll head overseas and collect an easy paycheck to look better by comparison. Perhaps he should give Italy a try. After all, he’s had some recent luck looking not-terrible against them.
https://twitter.com/Efawcett7/status/747170326606286850
