Arina’s new comments on Giannis: ‘He hasn’t evolved spiritually, he’s still based on his qualifications’

Gilbert Arenas went viral and drew criticism when he said Giannis Antetokounmpo still doesn’t understand basketball, only to make matters worse when he criticized again. As the topic was still open to many, he was asked to comment on Giannis’ style of play. And he stuck to his point but used different language to clarify some things.

“The old pickers understand what I’m trying to say in terms of what’s coming out.” When asked about his comments about Giannis in a new interview, Arinas first added: “When I say it hasn’t improved, I don’t mean the physical part. That’s what you get with age and weight gain. He’s done a great job with his body.”

Arinas then analyzed his reasoning for his previous comments:When I say he needs to get smarter and he doesn’t know the game yet, I mean he’s still grounded in his qualification like Dwight Howard and Russell Westbrook in the past. I mean understanding the rules of how to manage the game within the game. The spiritual part.

If he’s the No. 1 or No. 2 in the world playing on his merits, what will happen if he understands the game within the game. Usually people say “why doesn’t he understand the game, he won a championship”. OK, I get it. But he made it by playing hard. It’s about understanding the game the way Michael Jordan understood it.

My point is this, if he’s number 1 or 2 in the NBA, let’s go to the spiritual part. Is he smarter than Chris Paul? LeBron? Curry? Volume? Draymond Green? Leonard? Jokic? Doncic?”

Finally, he emphasized: “When I talk about his physical condition, I mean this: if you look at his games and you look at his playing time, has he played 4 x 40 minutes? In the playoffs, he has a 1-5 record when playing longer than 40 minutes. He wastes so much energy that he doesn’t know how to take his stamina to another level in battle. Last year I think he was the only superstar who didn’t play more than 40 minutes in a game.

I won’t put Giannis down for not playing 48 minutes because I understand why he can’t: Because he doesn’t relax in any possession and plays like an animal on both sides. But there are games where if the team’s star sits for 2-3 minutes, it hurts your team. Last year the Bucks didn’t have Middleton. In such a situation, he cannot sit on the bench. He can rest on some possessions on the ground and pose a threat

What I’m seeing and saying is that he can’t play 48 minutes in a playoff game if his playstyle means he has to. Giannis does a double-double in 30 minutes so I’m wondering what will happen if he plays more. I don’t hate him, I just want him to go to the next level. For me, he’s No. 2 in the NBA right now behind Kevin Durant. I’m not stupid, I think he’s the second best player in the NBA.”

Finally, Arinas said: “Isn’t his goal, as he thinks, to become the greatest of all time? I could say nothing and be one of the top 5 players of all time.

Getting stronger is no longer a problem. The point is that when he posts and they come in a doubles team, he knows he should know how to pass a better time. If he drives and the opponent goes back, shooting will be done after dribbling. There are levels in the game that haven’t even been touched.”

Check out Arina’s entire analysis: