Anthony Bennett’s NBA career hasn’t exactly gotten off to a flying start.
While fellow rookies Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo have already made several highlight-reel plays in their opening weeks in the NBA, Bennett – the No. 1 overall pick by the Cavaliers in June – is still waiting to make his first basket.
Bennett, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound forward out of UNLV, is now 0-for-15 from the field – including 0-for-8 from 3-point range – through his first four NBA games entering Wednesday night’s game in Milwaukee against the Bucks.
“He’s probably pressing to a certain degree,” Cavaliers coach Mike Brown told reporters after practice Tuesday. “So it’s probably a little of that and a little bit of being on a big stage now in the regular season with it counting. There’s probably some of where his opponents are looking at him and saying that they’re going to come at him. They may not care that he’s the No. 1 pick.”
It’s been a rough few months overall for Bennett, who had rotator cuff surgery on his left shoulder during the draft process, which kept him from working out until weeks ago, then was diagnosed with sleep apnea (on top of already having asthma).
Bennett was a surprise top overall pick by the Cavaliers in June, culminating a wild and unpredictable draft process after the longtime presumptive No. 1 overall pick, Nerlens Noel, blew out his knee playing for Kentucky last season.
It’s clearly far too early to pass any kind of judgment on Bennett, especially after he spent virtually the entire offseason unable to play basketball following the surgery. But the inauspicious start to his pro career hasn’t burnished his reputation.
“At the end of the day, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes, he can score,” Brown said. “He can score from all three levels and once he figures out how hard he has to play offensively in order for it to happen on a possession-by-possession occurrence, he’ll be good.”