Everyone is talking about Anthony Bennett right now but the most important new ones are those that belong on the heads of NBA types. Can Ball Ray takes a quick, and very early look, at what this could all mean for Robo and his rising Draft stock here ...
I don't know if you know yet, and if you don't know you should really get on it, but Anthony Bennett is playing really, really well right now. So well in fact, that there has been talk of him being not only a Freshman of the Year candidate but Player of the Year also.
That is pretty incredible! I can't recall in my extensive memory of there being a Canadian named as a Player of the Year in the NCAA, men or women. Now I could be wrong on that but I'm leaning heavily on the no side.
Of course, with all the talk of being a potential player of the year candidate, there will be the accompanying "should he stay or go after this season" debate. And really, I had those debates in my own head after that first game he played for UNLV and he outplayed and out shined the potential first round Draft pick and teammate Mike Moser. And that is saying something when you outshine one of the brightest rising players in your conference on your team.
If you've been keeping up with perennial NBA Draft prognosticators and Draft prospect specific website Draft Express or my tweets from Wednesday, Anthony Bennett has made a gargantuan climb up the mock board. He currently sits at #5 on the First Round mock for 2013 ahead of studs like Duke's Mason Plumlee, UNC James McAdoo and Michigan's Trey Burke.
I also have to mention that Bennett is also sitting on the other NBA Draft site that I like to check out's mock 2013, NBADraft.net, at #5. Two sites having him in the Lottery right now is a gerat sign for him as well as us Canadian basketball fans that have been watching him grow as a player.
At the moment, 19.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 blocks while shooting 53.8 % from the floor, 75% from the line and a respectable 31.6% from the trey in 28.3 minutes per game (all before the Saturday night game). Pretty good I'd say. I don't think there is a freshman in the Division 1 with comparable numbers. Right now, his production is causing nothing but major ohh and ahhs and with the conference season just starting I think he could possibly be much better than he is at the moment.
Personally, I think that is he continues on this current track of production he is a lock to make it a one-and-done year and will likely be a Lottery Pick. Teams, whether they need him or not, will be too enticed by the athleticism and incredible upside he will have as a likely combo forward in NBA. And just to wet your beak a little, here is the Draft Express's breakdown of Bennett for you. It's pretty good but since it's still only mid season, the clips are from some of his earlier games. I know that he has some deficiencies in his very raw and young game right now and I may not agree exactly with everything in the video breakdown (I think the examples could be better myself) but I'll let you decide.
I had written before here that he reminds me of UNLV great and one time NBA superstar Larry Johnson. Right now he's looking exactly like that player. And more. We'll just have to sit back and watch the rest of the season unfold to see what he ends up doing.
And is should be a whole lot of damage. Enough to have the Lottery balls pinning hopes on him for June.
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