Anthony Bennett isn't giving up on his NBA dreams
Former No.1 overall pick hopes more versatile game earns him another shot
Anthony Bennett has experienced peaks and valleys that many professional basketball players have not.
The Brampton, Ont., native parlayed a strong season at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas — where he drew comparisons to former UNLV standout and NBA all-star Larry Johnson — into becoming the first overall choice in the 2013 NBA draft, by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But within four years, he was out of the league at age 24, labelled a bust and possibly the worst No.1 pick in league history.
Former Cavs general manager David Griffin said the Canadian "had no desire to overcome adversity whatsoever." It's a notion Bennett disputes.
"I know myself and he doesn't know me as well," Bennett said last week while he was in the Toronto area for the annual NBA G League Showcase, where he was trying to impress the scouts and executives on hand.
"I think it's just something that he's saying to stir up the media. I'm working. I'm doing what I gotta do to get back to where I gotta be."
Different perspective
Prior to being drafted, Bennett was told by Canadian basketball legend Steve Nash that he needs to work hard because not every year is guaranteed.
The six-foot-eight forward has learned that lesson as he's bounced around four NBA teams in as many years. He also did a brief stint with Turkish club Fenerbahçe last season. It was there that he won a EuroLeague championship under legendary head coach Željko Obradović.
Obradović has won nine EuroLeague titles with five different teams, led Yugoslavia to the 1998 FIBA world championship and is a five-time EuroLeague coach of the year.
Bennett was thankful for the opportunity to learn from such a brilliant basketball mind.
"The experience of playing EuroLeague ball gave myself a different perspective on just the way the game's played," Bennett said. "Every possession matters. Everything has to be on point. Offence, defensively — everybody has to be connected."
Reunion with Triano
Fenerbahçe released Bennett last May. In September he reunited with Canadian national team head coach Jay Triano in Phoenix after Bennett agreed to a non-guaranteed deal with the Suns.
The two maintained a close connection over the years and Triano has always seemed to get the best out of Bennett. Playing for Triano at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, Bennett averaged 15.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest for Canada.
A little less than a month after joining Phoenix, Bennett was waived without making a pre-season appearance. He joined the team's G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, before the end of October.
But that's not to say his time in Phoenix was a waste. Bennett worked closely with Triano in practices and the then-assistant coach (he's now the head coach) of the Suns told Bennett that he could find a home in the league if he refined certain skills.
"Just being out there and talking to him as one of the coaches had me more relaxed," Bennett said. "He just said, 'Play with confidence, the same mindset that you do with Canada, and everything will be fine.'"
Bennett took Triano's advice to heart, working on becoming a better three-point shooter. Through 14 games with Northern Arizona, he shot 44.2 per cent from beyond the arc. The Maine Red Claws (a Boston Celtics affiliate) took notice and acquired him via trade in December.
Finding his way
Maine's general manager, Remy Cofield, recognizes that Bennett is still at an early age in his career.
"You're a young kid. You're still trying to find your way. Let's maximize what you have, and maybe something comes out of that," Cofield told the Portland Press Herald about Bennett.
At the G League Showcase in Mississauga, Ont., Bennett showed he still has something to offer. He made nine of 17 three-point attempts over the course of two games in a variety of manners — pick-and-pop, as a trailer in transition and in a catch-and-shoot situation. He also ran the floor and created for himself or his teammates off the bounce when needed.
While Bennett's offensive game was on full display, he admits that he's a work in progress on the other end. But throughout the showcase, Bennett was engaged defensively, keeping his arms active for deflections and calling out screens to help his teammates.
"I feel like that's what everybody nowadays looks for — versatile bigs that can guard," Bennett said.
There's no guarantee that Bennett will get back to the NBA. While he recognizes that there are some things he could've done differently, that's all in the past and he wants to make the most of his new opportunity with the Red Claws.
The possibility of another shot is what keeps Bennett driving. Until that day arrives, he'll continue to grind it out in the minors.
"I just gotta go out there and play basketball the way I know how to," Bennett said. "I'm working hard trying to get back to where I'm supposed to be."
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