Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas is far from shy when it comes to sharing his opinions, earning respect for his candor and perspective.
One has to wonder though: how will fans take Arenas' latest comments, as he comes to the defense of Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons?
After all, it isn't the first time that Arenas has touched on the topic of Simmons' play. Arenas also defended Simmons after the infamous play that led to fans, head coach Doc Rivers and All-Star center Joel Embiid shaking their heads and Simmons wanting out of Philadelphia.
However, fans will question if Arenas is sincere in saying he sees situations surrounding Simmons differently or if he's simply trying to play devil's advocate.
“I like the way he plays the game,” Arenas tells Games With Names hosts Julian Edelman and Sam Morrill.
“He just doesn't do what he can't do. If he can't do it, he's just not gonna do it. Now I would love playing with a guy who really doesn't want to shoot like that. A guy who's just gonna give me the ball the whole time!! Can't say anything bad about that!”
Arenas selfish reasons for wanting to have a teammate aside, Arenas also believes Simmons is “a good shooter.”
“I sat there and just watched him and I'm looking at his form, looking at his feet and I'm like ‘what the hell is going on with you, why isn't it translating to the game?'”
Arenas' answer?
“There's a certain type of player that just can't shoot and it's because of their speed. They're too fast!”
“It sounds like a weird thing,” Arenas admits, “but they're too fast.”
“If you go through recent history; Jason Kidd [was] super-fast, couldn't shoot. You've got your Westbrooks, you know… They have too much speed and torque so when you try and stop and pull up, it messes up everything.”
Whether fans buy what Arenas is selling is another question, but he has a solid argument.
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