“Is he smarter than LeBron James? Is he smarter than Curry, Klay, Draymond, Kawhi Leonard?” – Gilbert Arenas defends his critique against Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has come under scathing criticism from Gilbert Arenas. The former player critiqued Antetokounmpo's mental toughness despite arguably being the best player in the game.
Speaking on his podcast "No Chill with Gilbert Arenas," the former Most Improved Player award winner spoke about Antetokounmpo. Arenas said Antetokounmpo is not smarter than players like Chris Paul, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard.
Arenas said that he could not consider the Greek Freak in the same bracket as those players when it came to basketball IQ:
"Let’s go to the mental side. Is he smarter than Chris Paul? Is he smarter than LeBron James? Is he smarter than [Stephen] Curry, Klay [Thompson], Draymond [Green], Kawhi Leonard, [Nikola] Jokic, Luka [Doncic]? If he doesn’t rank No. 1 in that, that’s what I mean."
Gilbert Arenas on Giannis Antetokounmpo
“Is he smarter than Chris Paul? Is he smarter than LeBron James? Is he smarter than Curry, Klay, Draymond, Kawhi Leonard, Jokic, Luka? If he doesn't rank number one in that, that's what I mean.” ahnfiredigital.com/nba/milwaukee-…
These are just some of the startling comments made by Arenas. He recently targeted Antetokounmpo and flooded criticism in his direction. Arenas spoke about the flaws in the two-time MVP's game by pointing out his shooting splits. Arenas said that Antetokounmpo hadn't really developed his game from the perimeter and the free-throw line.
Arenas drew comparisons between Antetokoumpo and Michael Jordan. He pointed out that the six-time champion constantly improved aspects of his game to maintain his dominance. Arenas posted on Instagram detailing how he doesn't believe Antetokounmpo's game has progressed since he was drafted.
Arenas did give Giannis Antetokounmpo credit for improving his physique and his ability to finish. However, Arenas lambasted Antetokounmpo and spoke about how he needs to learn how to develop his game by understanding the game more.
Is this criticism of Giannis Antetokounmpo justified?
Arguably the best player in the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a man on a mission the past few years. Especially after signing a super-max contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, the pressure was on him to deliver a championship and he did.
Gilbert Arenas loves to point out the deficiencies in Antetokounmpo's game. Even then, Antetokounmpo has averaged 28.78 points in the past four seasons and has elevated his production in the postseason.
Antetokounmpo is also considered to be one of the best defensive players in the game. This is something that Arenas conveniently left out when pointing out the Greek Freak's development over the years.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a monstrous performance and delivered an international career-high in points 
@FIBA🇬🇷 Giannis Antetokounmpo had a monstrous performance and delivered an international career-high in points 🔥
40 PTS
8 REB
5 AST
2 STL
#FIBAWC #WinForAll
🎥 @FIBA https://t.co/HIB3T2CLWA
In the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Giannis Antetokounmpo shot 63.3% and 68.5% from the line, respectively. In 2021-22, Antetokounmpo shot 72.2%, a stark improvement in terms of percentages.
While the former league MVP's perimeter game lacks a serious threat, he is a beast inside the arc. As long as he keeps recording absurd stat lines and leading the team to championships, there will be no basis for Arenas' criticism.