Giannis Antetokounmpo is widely considered to be the best player in the league today due to the combination of athleticism, offensive firepower, and DPOY-caliber defense that is his playstyle. He has won almost every single award possible in the game, including a championship in 2021.
Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s achievements and talent, former All-Star Gilbert Arenas has recently claimed that Giannis Antetokounmpo “doesn’t understand basketball” as of right now. Those comments were met with shock from a lot of the NBA world, as it seems impossible for Giannis Antetokounmpo to have had this much success in the game without knowing it.
“The media says he’s the best player in the league. Not even close, just stop it!” Arenas said.
“I can look at his game and say he doesn’t understand basketball yet. He plays the sport, he won a championship, cool! But he doesn’t understand how to be better, how to train his body. To be at the top, you have to train your body at least 38 minutes and above. LeBron played 37 minutes at 37. Allen Iverson was playing 43 minutes”, he added.
Recently, Gilbert Arenas clarified what he meant by his comments about Giannis Antetokounmpo. He pointed out that he was talking about the subtleties of the game, such as knowing what “rules to bend”. He also noted that it’s “scary” to think that Giannis Antetokounmpo is being considered the best or second-best player in the world already, without actually knowing the game. Gilbert Arenas then suggested that Giannis Antetokounmpo would be a “different player” if he had “Tim Duncan’s knowledge”.
"Give him Tim Duncan's knowledge, a whole different player isn't he?"
Longtime NBA guard Gilbert Arenas joined @RickKamlaSports & @adaniels33 to clarify his comments about Giannis.#FearTheDear pic.twitter.com/G6it9PsDoG
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 31, 2022
When you say preparation… understanding this game. From the in and the outs of it… I’m saying from a guy that didn’t have the physical gifts, I had to use my tools… I had to understand the game inside the game. So I had to know refs, refs’ names… what rules I can bend, what rule are not bendable. Where the referees stand, so I know what moves I can use that they can’t catch. He doesn’t understand that part of the game, right now his game is all physical.
I’m not taking away from him. If you guys have him number one or number two, and he doesn’t understand this game yet, that’s scary.
Give him Tim Duncan’s knowledge, a whole different player isn’t he?”
It is crazy to imagine an even better version of Giannis Antetokounmpo. It is quite likely that he will develop the aspects of the game that Gilbert Arenas is referring to as he gets more experience, and it is important to note that Giannis Antetokounmpo started playing basketball later in his life than most NBA players.
As of right now, Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely focused on winning another championship for the Milwaukee Bucks. They will likely be favorites next season, and we’ll see just how far they go.
