The Toronto Raptors are adding some local flavour, as Sportsnet’s Michael Grange confirmed Friday that the club will sign Toronto-born power forward Anthony Bennett.
Bennett was not picked up on waivers after he was bought out by the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier in the week, adding another tough chapter to the pro career of the 2013 No. 1 overall pick.
Here are three things to know about the Canadian:
Showed signs of improvement over the summer: Bennett stood out, albeit against lesser competition, while playing for Team Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games this past summer, averaging 15.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. His best performance came against the U.S. team in an impressive Canadian victory, recording 18 points, 14 rebounds and one blocked shot.
Bennett displayed improved conditioning, something that has haunted his NBA career thus far, while playing for Canada at the 2015 FIBA Americas championship. He shot 50 per cent from the field and averaged 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Bennett was one of the team’s best players, although he didn’t register a point in Canada’s disappointing semifinal loss to Venezuela.
“We told him earlier this summer, if you do … things (other than focus on scoring), people are going to understand he’s got a lot of other skills: his ability to pass the basketball, his ability to get teammates open,” Canadian coach Jay Triano said (via The National Post). “He’s had a great summer.”
He lacks a distinguished position: Bennett excelled as a bruising power forward at UNLV, but has had difficulty adjusting to the NBA game. He hasn’t been able to stay healthy and showed up to his initial training camp out of shape, but part of his problem has been the lack of a true position. He’s a tweener in the sense he’s thick and strong enough to play power forward but doesn’t have the size to guard players at that position. His body is more suited for the NBA’s “3” position, but he doesn’t offer the perimeter game or outside shooting necessary for that spot.
Will Bennett find a role in Toronto? Given the loss of power forward Amir Johnson in free agency, the Raptors have some playing time up for grabs at power forward. The club brought in Luis Scola and Bismack Biyombo in free agency but Patrick Patterson is the early favourite to start. New small forward DeMarre Carroll can also play the four in a pinch if the team goes to a small lineup.
Most important for Bennett at this stage will be proving he can be a capable NBA player. Even though he’s only 22 years old, he is one of the least productive No. 1 overall picks in NBA history. The Cavaliers ditched him after one season, which spoke volumes given how highly they drafted him in 2013, and the Timberwolves didn’t see much use either, although part of that had to do with a logjam of developing big men in their system. Bennett still has enough upside to bring into training camp — especially given he’s going to sign for the league minimum — but at some point, he needs to provide some value to a team.
