Anthony Bennett is the undisputed biggest bust in the history of the NBA, as the former UNLV product miserably failed to live up to his distinction as the top overall pick of his class. Interestingly, Bill Simmons already saw from afar that the Canadian big man being picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2013 Draft was a head-scratching moment.
After the late Commissioner David Stern announced the Cavs' selection of Bennett, Simmons unleashed an unfiltered, hilarious reaction on national television. He was still working for ESPN and serving as an analyst in the network's Draft coverage that evening.
A reasonable reaction
We can only laugh about Simmons's reaction, but behind it, it is genuinely intriguing how the Cavs finalized their idea to pick Bennett as the No. 1 selection of the Draft.
Granted, the 2013 Draft Class has been massively touted as one of the weakest in recent years, as no prospects were highly regarded or coveted by experts and analysts. Unlike the previous years in which there was massive anticipation for Derrick Rose (2008), Blake Griffin (2009), John Wall (2010), Kyrie Irving (2011), and Anthony Davis (2012), no one appeared to have batted an eye on who will come out as the top pick. The rest of the lottery picks from 2 to 14 didn't even draw much hype and excitement.
However, as Cleveland pivoted and ultimately chose Anthony, Simmons can only raise his eyebrows at the franchise's decision-making. Noting their roster needs and the presence of Tristan Thompson on their squad, the 'Sports Guy' deemed the landing of the 21-year-old big man as completely unnecessary.
"I thought it was a bizarre pick. The only reason I'm not going to kill it is because I don't feel like there's a consensus top guy in the Draft. But it's just weird because Tristan Thompson's a power forward. They already have him. They're building around him. Bennett, I don't think he's a small forward. I think he's too big, so I guess they'd have to play those two guys together. It doesn't totally make sense to me," Bill argued.
Biggest bust
In the years that followed, the Cavs maintained their commitment towards Tristan, who ultimately became their starting center in the second coming of LeBron James to the franchise. Thompson, a rebounding machine, emerged as a crucial member of the team's four-straight Finals appearances and NBA championship in the 2015-16 season.
And as for Bennett, Simmons' reasoning aged like a fine wine. He had a dreadful rookie campaign for the Cavs, in which he averaged a lowly 4.2 points and 3.0 boards in 35.6 % shooting. Anthony's time in Cleveland (and in the NBA) was short-lived as he ended up becoming the worst top overall pick that a basketball fan can think of. Even bigger than the likes of Kwame Brown, Michael Olowokandi, and Greg Oden.
In an underwhelming Draft class that featured rare hits like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, and C.J. McCollum, it is wild how things turned out for Bennett as the No. 1 pick.
Related: "I’m thinking stretch four, but later on, I will play the three" - Anthony Bennett’s pre-draft prediction on what position he would play
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