Post#1743 » by Hair Canada » Thu Aug 3, 2023 11:08 am
The discussion of Anthony Bennett as a prospect is today largely colored by what he eventually became. But coming out of college, he was far from just "a bully with no skills". He was a physical specimen, powerful, lengthy, explosive, and very mobile. He was shooting 38% from 3 in college with a nice looking stroke. He had enough skill to blow by bigger and heavier defenders. The main complaints about him were that he had some health issues, was a bit of a twinner, and maybe wasn't the best one-on-one creator. But that only meant that he might not turn out a star and probably not worth the #1 pick. Very few thought he had a low floor. His typical draft projection was in the 3-7 range with #4 as the modal projection.
Just a sample of what was said about him before the draft:
NBADraftRoom (Bennett projected #6): "A more explosive Paul Milsap. Extremely powerful and explosive forward who can step outside and knock down jumpers or take defenders off the dribble. Has very good hands, catches the ball well and can handle the ball well. Very quick with the dribble and can beat his man with spin moves, drop step and a nice step back J. Has excellent form on his jumper and can step out to three point land and knock down jumpers. Very versatile offensive player with a high skill level.
Draftnet (projected #3): "Athletic, long, quick & fast, with a 7’1 wingspan & impressive inch vertical he poses nightmare problems in terms of mismatches."
Bleacher report (projected at #4): "Victor Oladipo's ceiling only reaches Bennett's shoulders."
Draftexpress (projected #7): "Bennett has uncommon scoring ability from the perimeter for a player with his physical gifts.. [and] doesn't have too many weaknesses on paper.
USA Today (projected #4): "Bennett has the look of a poor man's Carmelo Anthony, with natural scoring ability from either forward position."
SB Nation (projected #4): "Player comparison: Paul Millsap. A matchup nightmare for opposing defenses and can continue to be one at the next level. Imposing physical specimen, huge hands, shoulders and mid-section that allows for emphatic slams. Very athletic and imposing frame, giant wingspan at 7-foot-1. One of the most versatile big men you'll see during a freshman campaign in college. Capable of scoring around the paint at a rate of 74% and has developed a faceup midrange shot. Converts one three point attempt per contest. Tremendous ball handler for his position, puts the ball on the floor and creates for himself and others. Doesn't turn the ball over often. Constantly makes mismatches: overpowers smaller defenders, faster than bigger opponents. Adept at drawing fouls when contact is made. Very nice shooting stroke, good release. Extremely efficient and productive. If he played 40 minutes per game he would only turn the ball over twice and would average 26.2 points per game based on this season's stats. Good free throw shooter, averaged 75% on the season. Defensively, has a keen knack of blocking shots, gets his hands on loose balls, has good lateral quickness and great anticipation."
“If every basketball player worked as hard as I did, I’d be out of a job.”
— Steve Nash
