LOS ANGELES – The Cleveland Cavaliers had tried everything.

It was more than halfway through the 2013-14 season, and Cavs rookie Anthony Bennett hadn’t scored more than nine points through 44 games.

Head coach Mike Brown tried playing him behind guys like Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejão. He tried limiting his minutes, sometimes no more than two or five minutes a game. He tried sitting him for several games at a time.

The team tried having Bennett work more closely with coaches before and after practices. Teammates tried expressing words of encouragement to build Bennett’s confidence.

Still, the struggles persisted.

Bennett shot 35.6 percent from the field that season. He was poorly conditioned. He couldn’t defend. And he never played consistent minutes.

The Cavaliers had taken a chance on the 6-foot-8, 245-pound power forward. They drafted him No. 1 overall in a 2013 NBA draft that included Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, CJ McCollum and Victor Oladipo, but it was a talent pool that didn’t feature any clear-cut superstars at the time.

Bennett, then 20 years old, was supposed to give the Cavs another piece to add to Thompson and Kyrie Irving to help lift the team into contention after three straight losing seasons in the wake of LeBron James’ free-agent departure in 2010.

But four games into the season, he hadn’t scored a field goal. His only points came from a pair of free throws in his first game. He averaged 4.2 points and three rebounds for the year. He played in just one of the final 18 games. And he was traded to Minnesota after the season ended.

Bennett spent his next three seasons on three teams. He averaged 5.2 points in 57 games for the Timberwolves in 2014-15, then 1.5 points in 19 games for the Toronto Raptors in 2015-16, and five points in 23 games before he was waived by the Brooklyn Nets in 2017.

Teams questioned his desire. They wondered whether he had the drive to work when things got tough. He didn’t develop into the player he needed to be as the No. 1 pick, at least not quickly enough, and he was out of the league and termed a bust before age 25.

Perhaps that player everyone expected him to be is still there. Bennett’s made a name for himself in the G League in the past couple of years. He’s averaged career highs in points, rebounds and minutes.

Coaches have said the Brampton, Ontario, native’s story is not yet over. And in July, the Houston Rockets offered Bennett a non-guaranteed deal for the upcoming season.

His shot at redemption might be close, but he’ll need to show flashes of the player he was long before he ever donned an NBA jersey.

View photos Things didn't go well for Anthony Bennett in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan) More

Bennett was a special player

In his younger days, Bennett was typically one of the most explosive players on the court.

He was a five-star recruit out of Findlay Prep High School in Henderson, Nevada. He played AAU basketball for CIA Bounce. He played for the Canadian National Team’s Under-16 and Under-17 teams in the FIBA World Championships and led Canada to two consecutive bronze medals.

He’d developed the reputation of being a naturally athletic, versatile offensive weapon who could rise up for a thunderous dunk or shoot from anywhere on the court.

“He was powerful,” said Mike Peck, Bennett’s coach at Findlay Prep. “He had great size from his body, his frame. And once he got with us, he was consistently in our lifting program. He put the strength on that frame. Just naturally, he was athletic.

“When he would finish sometimes, when he got a lane to the basket or when he was at the rim, it was heads-up. Look out.”

Bennett wasn’t in good playing shape when he arrived for his junior year at Findlay Prep after attending Mountain State Academy in Beckley, West Virginia. He spent most of that season on the bench, something Peck credited with setting him up for a standout senior year.

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