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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - Jay Triano could hardly recognize Anthony Bennett, a player he coached with the Canadian senior men's team last summer, when he arrived for the final day of training camp on Wednesday.

"I saw him this morning after he flew in and I was like, 'you look great', and he does," Triano said. "His body composition has changed. Last year he couldn't have practiced like this the whole time, we had to play him in spurts and I thought today he was very good."

Noticeably slimmer, the former top pick returned to the Air Canada Centre practice court for the first time since being waived by the Toronto Raptors in early-March. With his NBA future very much in doubt following three forgettable seasons with three different clubs, he's mostly kept himself out of the public eye these past few months and declined to speak with the media after this latest workout.

There isn't much more that can be said, in fairness.

We've written the 'Bennett shows up in the best shape of his life, poised for a breakout summer' story before. You've read it. He's lived it. However, for a multitude of reasons, it hasn't come to fruition. You only get so many lives in the NBA, most are lucky to even be given one, and the talented, albeit enigmatic forward has already exhausted three. Time is running out on the 23-year-old. Now, more than ever before, this summer will be crucial.

Left off Canada's initial 19-man training camp roster last week, Bennett is a late addition to the national team after getting his insurance issues sorted out. In search of employment for next season, he's recently auditioned for the Nets and Knicks and hopes to, at the very least, secure an invitation to training camp. 

His decision to join Triano and company is the right one. Bennett is expected to be with the national team when they travel to Italy for a five-game exhibition tournament later this week and then again in Manila in early-July as they make one last-ditch effort to qualify for the Rio Olympics. If he's going to turn heads, this would be the stage to do it on. Short on high end talent with many of their prominent players unavailable or opting not to participate, including his former Timberwolves teammate Andrew Wiggins, Bennett was welcomed with open arms. He'll have an opportunity to replicate and even build on last summer's success, playing a featured role on this young Canadian team.

"It's great to have him back," Triano said. "He was a big part of our team last summer. At the Pan Am Games he was outstanding and at the [FIBA Americas Championship] he was very great. So it's great to have him back here, another experienced guy."

Making his debut for the senior club, Bennett impressed with averages of 15.6 points and 9.4 rebounds at the Pan Ams, leading the Canadian team - also low on NBA calibre talent - to a silver medal. With an Olympic berth on the line in Mexico City, he averaged 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds as a member of the most skilled roster the country had ever assembled, one that ultimately came up short.

At one point, in an awkward moment after one of his standout performances, a reporter asked him why he looks like such a different player in FIBA competition than he does in the NBA. Triano, sitting to his left, tried his best not to laugh, most of the Canadian media in attendance cringed, Bennett was the only one not taken aback by the question - an obvious, but convoluted one.

For starters, it's night and day in terms of competition level. Then there's Bennett's skill set. On the international stage he's a unicorn - bigger, stronger, faster than just about anyone he'll face at his position. In the NBA, especially in today's NBA, he's just another player. He does all the things a modern power forward is expected to do, but not well enough, not consistent enough to carve out a niche for himself at the highest level.

It's not that he doesn't work at his craft, it's not like he's lazy. On the contrary, in fact, he works very hard, but to resurrect his once promising career he'll have to work smart. Last summer Triano had Bennett focusing on what he does best, what he'll need to do best to carve out a role in the NBA: rebound, screen and defend. Like most players he gets into trouble when he tries to do more than he should. He's too strong, too athletic to be settling for jump shots. He was once miscast as a first-overall pick, which isn't his fault but, in many ways, that cloud still hangs over his head. He's not a star. He won't be a star, not in the NBA anyway, but there's no reason why he can't turn himself into a good, solid role player, assuming he wants to be.

His talent still intrigues, but Bennett has a lot to prove and it only starts with getting in shape and having a strong summer for Canada. After all, he's done those things before.