Anthony Bennett is still recovering from shoulder surgery, but his arm is working well enough to sign his first NBA contract.
The Cavaliers have officially signed Bennett to his rookie deal, which is for four years and a little over $22 million, the team announced.
Bennett was the surprise No. 1 overall pick out of UNLV. He’s a 6’7” power forward who will come off the bench at first behind Anderson Varejao, but who the Cavs see as a starter soon.
The tools he has were never the question — Bennett is long, physically strong and in college was just a beast around the basket. He can get out and run the floor and he can finish with authority (he was one of college basketball’s better dunkers). He’s shown flashes of an outside shot and handles, but those areas need to improve. So will his defense. But all the tools are there.
We did not get to see those tools on display at Summer League or anywhere else since he’s been picked due to shoulder surgery that took place before the draft. Bennett is expected to be ready to go by training camp.
The Cavaliers are Kyrie Irving’s team, and they have the Andrew Bynum sideshow now. But clearly they see Bennett as a big part of their future, and now they have him formally signed.
