Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri doesn’t look at Anthony Bennett as just another flyer on a player at the end of his rope.
Despite signing the former No. 1 overall pick to a one-year minimum contract, Ujiri sees future growth potential.
“We’re trying to develop him,” Ujiri told Bob McCown and Ken Reid on Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s Prime Time Sports Monday. “He’s putting in the work, he’s putting in the work on his body, he’s putting in the work on conditioning and for us it’s a one-year minimum deal but we see this as a long-term thing where he continues to develop and make progress with us.”
Perhaps as part of the first step in the Raptors’ development plan for Bennett, Ujiri stressed the importance of basically hitting the reset button on the Canadians’ dismal NBA career, thus far.
“We want a new Anthony Bennett in a way where it’s not the pressure of being a No. 1 pick anymore — that’s gone,” Ujiri said. “We want to figure out the basketball player that he can become, not what happened in Minnesota or what happened in Cleveland. I think that’s all gone now.
“I told AB, ‘hey, we have to figure it out here,’ and I think he’s settled in a little bit [in the] last day or so.”
Bennett’s struggles have been well documented, but given his enticing talent, Ujiri sees no down-side to taking a chance on him.
“To get a guy that athletic, that big, that skilled for a minimum contract, former No. 1 guy, we can say all we want, I think on our part it’s a no-brainer to take a chance on a kid.”
Looking at the Raptors roster right now, the gamble Ujiri’s taking seems greater than his minimum contract would suggest because Toronto is loaded in the front court. However, Ujiri sees this situation as an opportunity for both Bennett and the team.
“I think it’s all about development. He needs to develop. We want to put him in a situation where it’s a growing team. We’re not by any means a great team or a veteran team where everything is completely set in stone. He has to come and compete against good players. Patrick Patterson, James Johnson, Luis Scola, those guys are all going to play the four position, DeMarre Carroll will play the four position a little bit, too.”
Ujiri and the Raptors have had their eyes on Bennett for a while now as the general manager admitted he was in talks with the Timberwolves when the 22-year-old was rumoured to be on the trading block.
“We did have a couple conversations, we inquired a couple times, but it never led to anything. We thought we’d be patient and see what comes of this.”
The wait-and-see approach certainly appears to have been the smarter play given the price the Raptors were able to get Bennett at. Now to see if this development plan bears any fruit.
