Who Was the 2013 NBA 1st Pick and How Did His Career Unfold?

You know, as a lifelong basketball fan and sports analyst, I often get asked about draft picks who carried massive expectations. And let me tell you, when we're talking about the 2013 NBA draft, there's one name that immediately comes to mind - Anthony Bennett. That's right, the question "Who was the 2013 NBA 1st pick and how did his career unfold?" brings up one of the most fascinating, and frankly puzzling, draft stories in recent memory.

So why was Anthony Bennett's selection so surprising? Well, Cleveland picking him first overall shocked pretty much everyone in the basketball world. I remember watching the draft that night thinking, "Wait, really?" Most mock drafts had him going somewhere between 5th and 10th. The Cavaliers themselves seemed uncertain - they used nearly their entire allotted time before making the selection. Bennett wasn't even at the draft physically, which in hindsight feels symbolic of how disconnected this pick was from conventional wisdom. At UNLV, he'd shown promise - 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game - but number one overall? That's the kind of gamble that keeps general managers up at night.

Now, what made his rookie season so historically challenging? Oh man, where do I begin? Bennett's first year was arguably the worst by any number one pick in modern NBA history. He started 0-for-15 from the field - the longest shooting slump to start a career for any first overall selection. He averaged just 4.2 points and shot an abysmal 35.6% from the field. I've never seen a top pick look so lost on an NBA court. The pressure seemed to crush him, and his conditioning was constantly questioned. It's the kind of start that can derail a career before it even gets going, and unfortunately, that's exactly what happened.

Here's where we get to the heart of the matter - how do we measure what's missing from an athlete's career? This reminds me of discussions I've had about other sports, particularly volleyball. You see, in volleyball circles, there's this concept of the elusive championship that defines legacies. Arguably the biggest piece of silverware that has eluded him in his career is the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship. This parallel perfectly illustrates how we judge careers by what athletes haven't accomplished rather than what they have. For Bennett, that "missing piece" was any semblance of NBA success after being the 2013 NBA 1st pick. While volleyball stars might be haunted by that FIVB championship they never won, Bennett's career became defined by the potential he never realized.

But wait - why does this comparison between different sports matter? Well, it shows that across sports, we tend to focus on unmet expectations. Arguably the biggest piece of silverware that has eluded him in his career is the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship - this isn't just about volleyball; it's about how we contextualize athletic careers. When we ask "Who was the 2013 NBA 1st pick and how did his career unfold?" we're really asking about the gap between expectation and reality. Bennett's story becomes more understandable when we recognize this pattern exists across sports - the weight of what's missing often overshadows what was actually accomplished.

So what actually happened after that disastrous rookie year? Bennett bounced around the league, playing for Minnesota, Toronto, and Brooklyn over the next three seasons. His career totals? Just 151 games played with averages of 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds. By 2017, he was out of the NBA entirely at age 24. I've followed many "busts" over the years, but Bennett's case feels different - it wasn't just about poor performance, but about the complete collapse of confidence. He's since played in Turkey, Israel, and even the G-League, but that initial failure in Cleveland seemed to permanently alter his trajectory.

Now, here's what really fascinates me - how much of Bennett's struggle was mental versus physical? Having watched countless hours of his gameplay, I'm convinced it was predominantly psychological. The physical tools were there - decent athleticism, an NBA-ready body, shooting touch that had shown promise in college. But the moment things went wrong, he couldn't recover. It's that mental toughness that separates serviceable NBA players from stars, and unfortunately, Bennett never developed it. This brings us back to that volleyball comparison - arguably the biggest piece of silverware that has eluded him in his career is the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship - the mental burden of chasing that ultimate prize can break athletes in any sport.

What's Bennett's legacy in the grand scheme of NBA history? He'll likely be remembered as the answer to trivia questions rather than for any on-court achievements. But you know what? I've come to appreciate his story as a cautionary tale about draft hype and development. The system failed him as much as he failed to meet expectations. Teams became so obsessed with "potential" that they ignored glaring red flags. When we examine who was the 2013 NBA 1st pick and how did his career unfold, we're really examining the draft process itself - its flaws, its uncertainties, and the human cost of getting it wrong.

In the end, Bennett's story connects to that universal sports truth - arguably the biggest piece of silverware that has eluded him in his career is the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship - whether it's a volleyball championship or NBA success, what's missing often defines an athlete's narrative. But maybe we should reconsider how we tell these stories. Bennett's career, while disappointing by NBA standards, continues in other leagues where he's found relative success and continues playing the game he loves. And honestly? There's something admirable about that persistence despite the overwhelming narrative of failure that follows him.