Gilbert Arenas showers massive praise on “big game” JuJu Watkins with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant comparison
Gilbert Arenas has paid JuJu Watkins the highest compliment by likening her big-game mentality to some distinguished NBA legends.
Watkins has the makings of a true Trojan legend. The freshman is one of the most exciting players to watch in women's college basketball and has already reminded not only the women's hoop community, but all of the NBA and beyond of her outrageous talent.
On a recent episode of the Nightcap podcast, Gilbert Arenas sat down with host Shannon Sharpe. Arenas had rich words of praise for LA native Watkins. The former Warriors guard reckoned that in big moments, her game betrays the presence of a clutch gene, akin to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
"If you watch her work out, you wouldn’t know she was a girl. She has no mannerisms," Arenas said.
"She works out with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker and she can mimic all of them. She got so much power, so much swag. I’ve seen this girl do some amazing things during big games, she has the Kobe and Jordan Gene.”
“There are only few people that I’ve seen with it meaning Jimmy Butler. When it's a big game and there's big moments, they never fail you. She’s one of those, Caitlin Clark too,” he added.
Shannon responded with the following:
“Yeah, her games kind of reminds me of Maya Moore.” He added, “She can get her own shot. They don’t need you give me the ball and I can’t get to them my spot – be at the mid-range lane and get all the way to the rim. It’s joy watching them.”
This comes after JuJu Watkins helped the top-seeded USC women’s basketball team to their first NCAA Elite 8 appearance since 1994.
Gilbert Arenas weighs in on JuJu Watkins & Caitlin Clark’s matchup with Devin Booker reference
When a former NBA star tips you for stardom, you know that the hoops world is going to be watching your development very closely. While some might suggest that Watkins is yet to reach her peak, her stellar role during her freshman year defies conventional wisdom.
There is no denying that she has taken the college basketball scene by storm. The 18-year-old is also the nation's second-leading scorer behind Iowa's Caitlin Clark. Gilbert couldn't help but come up with another bold prediction about a potential matchup between her and Caitlin Clark at the business end of the NCAA Tournament.
“Caitlin is great but she’s not JuJu," Gilber said in the Nightcap podcast.
"If you go back and look Caitlin as a freshman what JuJu does is they are not even on the same planet. If they match up in the tournament, 1,000% JuJu gonna pick her up full court... She’s built like [Devin] Booker. She’s super athletic, she will pick her [Caitlin] up full court that they are going to set a whole bunch of screens to JuJu off her,” he concluded.
JuJu is already carving her name into USC history. While her raw stats might suggest room for growth, her freshman season has been nothing short of phenomenal. Her on-court performance has even put her in the conversation for NPOY honors alongside the likes of Caitlin Clark.
However, it remains to be seen how the two fare in a potential head-to-head matchup. The freshman against the established superstar of the women's game? Hollywood much? We cannot wait to find out!