Gilbert Arenas: Giannis Antetokounmpo Doesn't Understand Basketball Yet

Giannis Antetokounmpo is historically decorated for his age. The 27-year-old has already won a pair of MVP awards, Defensive Player of the Year, and a Finals MVP to go along with his ring. He is one of three players to have won MVP and DPOY in the same season, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. He has a legitimate claim to the title of best player in the world right now.

Yet, for some reason, Gilbert Arenas is of the opinion that Giannis ain't all that.

The nonsensical core of this argument is that Giannis hasn't reached the tier of truly elite players due to a lack of understanding about how to push his body to the limit. The evidence used is that his minutes are usually in the low 30s during the regular season.

Words cannot convey how utterly ludicrous this take is. Giannis doesn't play big minutes during the regular season because Mike Budenholzer refuses to play his best players that often. It was actually a big problem for him that carried over into the playoffs and only once he relented on that mantra did the Bucks reach the next level. The season before Bud took over, Giannis averaged 36 minutes per game and was named the NBA's Most Improved Player.

Arenas would know that. If he was paying attention. He wouldn't say something like this if he was. It's impossible to believe that he really thinks Giannis' problem is his stamina and willpower. Anybody who says otherwise simply doesn't watch the games.