Being a tweener in the NBA can be a blessing or a curse, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, obviously, are hoping that their number one draft pick, Anthony Bennett, is going to be the latter. So is it going to be a power forward or small forward? Too soon to tell, with Bennett recovering from surgery and in some sort of diet program to shed some weight, but initial proclamations designate him to the power forward position.
No one usually mistakes Mike Brown for an offensive genius, and Bennett’s attributes are mostly on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 16.1 points per game last season for UNLV. And yet Brown is entrusted with bringing in the 20 year old into the NBA, and hoping he lives up to the huge risk the Cavs took when surprising many by using the number one pick on him.
The interesting issue with Bennett is the players the Cavs already have. Tristan Thompson had a successful season as the starting ‘4’ for the Cavs last season, and it’s hard to see him playing in any other position. With Andrew Bynum joining the team; Anderson Varejao and Tyler Zeller expecting to get a lot of minutes, that doesn’t leave too many minutes for a player at the ‘4’. But according to Mike Brown, he has it all figured out.
I got it figured. His ability to score in a lot of different ways is intriguing. His explosiveness is intriguing. His standing reach is higher than lot of guys playing power forward in the league, including Kevin Love. He’s got long arms. There’s a desire to want to be better. He has a lot of upside.
Looking at the Cavs’ roster, Bennett would be more likely to fit as a small forward initially. There are also more minutes up for grabs at that position as well, but the Cavs probably fear that Bennett won’t be quick enough to guard certain players on the perimeter. He might be more suited physically to play as a ‘4’, but the Cavs are going to struggle balancing their big men and their happiness unless Bennett surprises everyone by showing his versatility in its brightest form among the pros as well.