Cavs Top Pick Anthony Bennett off to Historically Rough Start

No. 1 overall draft picks in the NBA have been known for rough starts on occasion. Maybe none as rough as Anthony Bennett, however.

Through four games, Bennett is 0-of-15 from the field for the Cleveland Cavaliers. We repeat: four games, zero buckets. 

Ouch.

ESPN's Chris Palmer broke it down without sentiment. 

The No. 1 pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, Bennett’s selection by the Cleveland Cavaliers surprised many. As Benjamin Hoffman wrote in the New York Times at the time:

"

At No. 1, the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled a surprise by selecting Anthony Bennett, a power forward from Nevada-Las Vegas, rather than Nerlens Noel, a player talked of as a future No. 1 pick since he was in high school. The selection of Bennett, a big-bodied rebounding specialist who is expected to be an excellent pick-and-roll partner with Kyrie Irving, drew huge cheers from the crowd.

“I’m just as surprised as everyone else,” Bennett said. “I didn’t really have any idea who’s going No. 1 or who was going No. 2. I heard everything was up for grabs.”

"

No. 1, No. 2, apples or oranges; Bennett can’t seem to toss a biscuit in the ocean at this point. The 6'8" forward has blanked so far during the young 2013-14 season. The Cavs managed a close, 93-92 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night despite Bennett's impotence.

Bennett? Three tries, three misses in just under 10 minutes. As the rookie himself intimated, he’s heading undercover.

It isn’t that Bennett isn’t trying, he’s all about rookie hustle—grabbing rebounds, going hard to the hoop and, perhaps too often, chucking them up from outside in a desperate attempt to make something happen. Eight out of 15 tries have been from beyond the arc so far.

At some point, Bennett will look back and laugh. Not quite yet, though. Welcome to the NBA and high expectations, big man.