2025-11-17 12:00
I remember watching the 2013 NBA Draft like it was yesterday - the anticipation, the speculation, and ultimately, the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting Anthony Bennett as the first overall pick. Honestly, at the time, I thought this was going to be another LeBron James situation where a franchise-changing player would emerge from what many considered a relatively weak draft class. Little did we know we were witnessing the beginning of what would become one of the most fascinating and, frankly, disappointing number one pick stories in recent NBA history.
Looking back at Bennett's pre-draft credentials, the selection made some sense on paper. He had just completed a solid freshman year at UNLV, averaging 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 53.3% from the field. His combination of size and athleticism seemed promising, and the Cavaliers were desperately searching for someone to build around after LeBron's departure to Miami. But what many of us in the basketball analysis community missed was how his game would translate to the NBA level. I've always believed that the mental aspect of being a number one pick is just as important as physical talent, and unfortunately, Bennett seemed to struggle with the enormous pressure from day one.
His rookie season was, to put it mildly, historically bad. Bennett played 52 games for the Cavaliers, starting exactly zero of them, and averaged just 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting an abysmal 35.6% from the field. I recall analyzing game footage from that season and noticing how lost he looked on both ends of the court. The confidence that had been so evident during his college days seemed completely gone. The Cavaliers traded him to Minnesota after just one season as part of the Kevin Love deal - a move that essentially signaled they'd made a massive mistake.
Bennett's journey after Cleveland became what we in sports journalism often call the "NBA journeyman" path, though his case was particularly notable given his draft position. He bounced from Minnesota to Toronto, then to Brooklyn, before his NBA career effectively ended in 2017 after just 151 total games. His career averages of 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds make him statistically the least productive number one pick in the modern era. What's fascinating to me, as someone who's followed hundreds of players' careers, is how Bennett's story represents the tremendous gap between collegiate success and professional performance.
Now, here's where we get to the really interesting part of Bennett's story - his transition to international basketball. After several G-League stints and a brief period with Fenerbahçe in Turkey, Bennett made a decision that surprised many: he began representing Canada in international competition. This brings me to that intriguing piece of information about the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship - while Bennett hasn't achieved team success at that level in basketball, his international career represents a sort of redemption arc that's worth examining.
Bennett obtained Canadian citizenship through his mother, who was born in Halifax, and made his debut for the Canadian national team in 2021. I've always found it compelling when athletes find new purpose in international play after struggling in professional leagues. For Bennett, putting on the Canadian jersey seemed to rejuvenate his love for the game. He participated in FIBA AmeriCup 2021 qualifiers and the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup, showing flashes of the talent that once made him the top draft pick. His performance in Canada's surprising victory over Argentina during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers - scoring 11 points and grabbing 7 rebounds - reminded everyone that the ability was still there, even if it hadn't translated to NBA success.
The comparison to volleyball's world championship is particularly apt here because, much like how that trophy has eluded many great volleyball players, Bennett has never captured that defining team achievement in basketball. But what I appreciate about his current situation is how he's found a different path to satisfaction in the sport. He's currently playing for Hsinchu JKO Lioneers in Taiwan's P. League+, where he's putting up respectable numbers - around 13.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in the 2022-23 season. While it's a far cry from NBA stardom, it represents a professional basketball career that continues, which is more than many draft busts can claim.
Reflecting on Bennett's journey, I can't help but think about the immense pressure we place on young athletes, particularly those selected first overall. The expectation isn't just that they'll be good - it's that they'll transform franchises and become superstars. When that doesn't happen, we're often too quick to label players as failures. Bennett's story, while certainly not meeting the expectations of a number one pick, demonstrates the resilience required to continue pursuing professional basketball across different leagues and international competitions. His experience with the Canadian national team, in particular, shows how representing one's country can provide a sense of purpose that the commercial pressures of the NBA sometimes obscure.
As I look at the current NBA landscape and see players like Victor Wembanyama carrying similar expectations, I hope teams have learned from cases like Bennett's. The mental and emotional support systems around top picks need to be as developed as their physical training programs. Bennett's career serves as a reminder that draft position is just the beginning of a story, not the entire narrative. While he may never have captured that elusive championship glory - whether NBA, international, or comparable to volleyball's world championship - he's carved out a professional basketball career on his own terms, which in its own way represents a different kind of success.
