There have been some truly incredible players in NBA history who have been selected in the second round of the draft. On the latest episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast, Trevor Ariza, a second-round pick himself, was asked who is the greatest second-round pick of them all.
“For me, Gilbert (Arenas),” Ariza stated.
Shannon Sharpe was surprised by the response, to say the least, and reminded Ariza that Nikola Jokic is an option. Ariza acknowledged Jokic’s greatness but refused to change his pick.
“Jokic is cold… I ain’t gonna change, I am gonna go with Gilbert. Gilbert is sick. He just ain’t win nothing.”
. @GilsArenaShow is a Better 2nd Rounder than Nikola Jokić, @manuginobili and @Money23Green pic.twitter.com/prD6TvMCY1
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) December 1, 2023
Sharpe listed out some other great second-round picks like Draymond Green, Manu Ginobili, Dennis Rodman, and Marc Gasol, and felt Arenas would be third or fourth on his list. Ariza was not budging from his pick, though.
Does Gilbert Arenas Have A Case?
While the gun incident and outlandish NBA takes might be the first thing that comes to mind for many when they think of Arenas, he was a very good player at his peak. From 2004-05 to 2006-07, he averaged 27.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
He was one of the premier guards in the league at the time, but his prime was short-lived. Injuries led to Arenas’ play declining at a relatively young age, and he played his last NBA game in 2012 at the age of 30.
Arenas finished his NBA career with averages of 20.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game. He was a three-time All-Star and won Most Improved Player in 2003 as well. All that is pretty good, but his resume still pales in comparison to some of the other notable second-round picks.
Jokic is the obvious one, having won a title, a Finals MVP, and two MVPs. The Serbian also has career averages of 20.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game and is head and shoulders ahead of Arenas.
There are a few others who Sharpe mentioned, that I would put ahead of Arenas as well.
Rodman, for one, won five championships, two DPOYs, and was a two-time All-Star. Green, meanwhile, won four championships, one DPOY, and is a four-time All-Star. Ginobili also won four championships to go with a Sixth Man of the Year award and was a two-time All-Star.
Our ranking of the greatest second-round picks in NBA history had Arenas at sixth, which is about where he should be. Had he stayed healthy and had a longer prime, he could have been a lot higher, but he really just had three great seasons and not much else.
Trevor Ariza Says Kobe Bryant Is The GOAT
This was far from the only interesting pick made by the former NBA player in this episode. Ariza said Kobe Bryant is the GOAT and LeBron James is 1B, which was a shocker.
Ariza and Bryant were teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers and won a title together in 2009, so there is probably a little bit of bias involved here on the 38-year-old’s part. Kobe has gone down as one of the greatest players ever, but he doesn’t have a real argument to be ahead of LeBron at this point.
Ariza is entitled to his opinion, of course, but he sure has some interesting ones.
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