On top of everything else, Anthony Bennett couldn't see last season
The odds were stacked so heavily against Anthony Bennett in his rookie season last year that simply having survived it with a positive attitude is a minor miracle.
The unexpected No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bennett struggled through a shoulder injury, a resultant weight problem from being limited all offseason, and sleep apnea that often left him fatigued. He had one of the worst starts to a rookie season ever, let alone for a No. 1 pick.
Those issues were revealed as the season went on. Bennett has since dropped 20 pounds and had his tonsils removed to help with the sleeping issues.
He also had laser eye surgery, because apparently, while all this other stuff was going on, he also couldn't see.
"Last year was chaos," Bennett told Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, gesturing to an object 10 feet away. "You see that white board? Last year, I couldn't read the writing on it ... I couldn't see the people in the stands. Now I can see the scoreboard. I can see what plays coach wants to run."
It's little surprise, in retrospect, Bennett averaged just 4.2 points on 35.6 percent shooting in just 12.8 minutes as a rookie.
While knee soreness has somewhat limited his playing time to start the season, Bennett has flashed signs of improvement.
Season | Pts/36 | TS% | PER |
---|---|---|---|
2013-14 | 11.8 | 42.5% | 6.9 |
2014-15 | 17.2 | 60.0% | 18.6 |
Really, how could he not? He can see now, his shoulder's healed, he's in better shape and he can sleep at night.