Anthony Bennett

Strengths

Right-handed… The first thing you notice about the youngster combo-forward is his tremendous build. He has a chiseled 230 pound physique standing at 6'8"… Bennett is tremendous explosive whether he is playing on the perimeter or in the post on offense, capable of planting a long first step down and powering past his man off the dribble or rising up above his defender and putting home a dunk. He is a tremendous mix of power and athleticism for most forwards to handle. Although he doesn't have great height for a full-time power forward in the NBA, Bennett has good length and great hops to assist his physical limitation… On the perimeter, Bennett shows a good use of skills like his textbook shot-fake or a smooth step-back to create space and pull-up or get that half-step he needs to put his head down and drive the lane. He is a very good spot-up shooter when given time and a work in progress off the bounce… Given his skill set and size, Bennett has the ability to play multiple positions in the half-court setting, ranging from the 2, 3 or 4. His bulk will even let him play 5, albeit a certain undersized one at that. In transition, Bennett can rebound the ball, outlet it to a guard or handle it himself and what makes him especially dangerous is his ability to streak down the wing and spot-up or serve as a fantastic "get out of the way" finisher as a trailer on the play… As a rebounder, he shows very good instincts and an explosive bounce to go up and chase the ball in the air or outside his space, while he has the wide frame and lower body power to hold his block out as well.

Weaknesses

As noted above, Bennett isn't the ideal size for a power forward in the NBA, yet he isn't quite skilled enough at this juncture to be considered a full-time 3 either. He lacks great quickness and perimeter ball-handling to play outside and his post game is reliant on overpowering his opponents. When he puts the ball on the floor and sees the opening for his jumper, he hesitates for a split second, allowing for his defender to recover in position or falls off balance due to a lack of comfortability with that part of his game. Down low, Bennett mostly relies on power to finish above the rim, but when he plays with finesse, everything is with his right hand at the basket. He will need to develop the same level of touch with his left to score the ball, but also moving away from the rim and strengthening his left-handed dribble. His handle is probably the weakest aspect of his game and holds him back as a top-notch combo-forward prospect… On the defensive end of the floor, Bennett is a solid rebounder, but has a tendency to float out early in transition. Another weakness is his bulk also holds him back as he doesn't get enough of a reaction to get off the ground quickly and block and alter shots. He could stand to lose some of his weight and become an even more explosive force.