Anthony Bennett still searching for elusive first basket after four games
Anthony Bennett (15) has started his NBA career 0 of 15 from the field. (Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
UPDATE: Anthony Bennett went 0 of 3 in his fourth game, extending the basket-less drought to start his NBA career to 0 of 15. The top pick played a total of 10 minutes off the bench in the Cavaliers' 93-92 win over the Wolves.
He's three games into his NBA career and Anthony Bennett is still in pursuit of his first basket.
The No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft is off to an 0-of-12 to start with the Cavaliers, finishing with zero points for the second straight game in a 89-74 loss to the Pacers on Saturday night. Bennett's blanking from the field in three games includes an 0-of-6 showing from three-point range and a missed dunk against Indiana (although he made 2-of-4 free throws in his NBA debut, a victory over Brooklyn).
"I just feel like there’s a lid on the basket,'' Bennett told the Cleveland Plain Dealer after Saturday's loss. "Three games and no shots went in, but I just have to keep working.''
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound power forward out of UNLV says he's still recovering from the shoulder surgery he underwent this past spring and is also continuing to deal with sleep apnea and asthma, which flared up last month. Bennett told the Plain Dealer that he's never endured a slump like this and is still adjusting to playing in the NBA.
"Everybody is saying [to] keep my head up,'' Bennett said. "First year in the league, it’s going to be difficult. My teammates are also telling me to keep my head up. It’s frustrating at times, but you just have to get the mental part down. I’ve got 79 games to go.''
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Bennett is averaging 13.3 minutes per game. The top pick is playing behind starters Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson and fighting for bench minutes with second-year big man Tyler Zeller and the recovering Andrew Bynum.
Cleveland (1-2) plays host to Minnesota on Monday.
