Post by Andrew on Jun 4, 2020 18:20:44 GMT -8
Wow! Gilbert Arenas looks awesome. Through 29 games this season Agent 0 is averaging 31.1 PPG, good for first in the league. Obviously this type of scoring is the highest you could conceivably ask for, but Spence did say Hibachi would have some serious downside. The two most notable weaknesses about Gil from Spence’s draft notes was his D+ defense and potential turnover issues. After two TC’s his defense has not improved as much as GM Nanz might like, but he does manage 2.3 steals per game, good for a 4 way tie for 5th in the league. Additionally, his TO’s don’t seem to be a huge issue as he has been playing PG all season while being the Lakers first option scorer. Damn good! Is there something we could be missing about Gil? He’s obviously high in steals, but is he letting opposing players blow by him, thus negating his scoring prowess. Let’s take a deeper look into some recent box scores.
Day 34: Lakers vs Grizzlies
Gilbert Arenas 6 of 17 for 14 points
Eric Snow 2 of 6 for 6 points
Unfortunately, there isn’t much of substance in the most recent game the Lakers played. Gil had a very off night, while his main matchup, the venerable Eric Snow, refused to shoot. Snow did turn the ball over 6 times this game, although Arenas finished the game with 2 steals, so Snow’s TO’s were determined mostly outside of Gil’s D. Both PG’s played awful. If Gil has a night that’s closer to what he averages, the Lakers win this game, but instead lose by 10. Because of the awful comparison here I will give the edge to NOT ARENAS strictly because the Lakers lose this game.
Day 33: Nuggets vs Lakers
Gilbert Arenas: 14 of 24 for 32 points
Tim Hardaway 2 of 12 for 5 points
Tito Maddox 5 of 10 for 11 points
Arenas has a nice efficient game here, while also limiting the opposing PG’s. This is not a great comparison test here either as the Nuggets PG’s were never going to be attempting many shots with the likes of Jordan, Rose, and Pierce on the roster. Also Tito and Tim combined for 62 minutes so there is no way to reasonably say who was guarding them during this game. Efficient night for Tito though. Arenas goes off, the Nuggets PG’s don’t attempt any shots, so I give this round to ARENAS
Day 32: Lakers vs Pistons
Gilbert Arenas: 9 of 19 for 32 points
Nick Van Exel 9 of 15 for 23 points
Arenas has a night that is probably a median performance for him this season, which is great! He has a low TO game to go with 11 assists. However, he lets Nick the Quick rain it in on him. Not always the best outcome to let Van Exel score 23 points while shooting 60% from the field. Nick also has a good game TO wise with 1 to go with 3 steals. Despite the lower point total, I have to give the Nick the slight edge here because of how efficient he was. This round goes to NOT ARENAS
Day 31: Kings vs Lakers
Gilbert Arenas: 6 of 22 for 15 points
Steve Nash: 10 of 19 for 24 points
Love this matchup of superstar point guards. Guarding Nash is a tough ask for any BBS point guard, but particularly of someone with C- defense. Fortunately for Arenas, the same is true of C rated defender Steve Nash. The eye test on this stat line is pretty telling. Arenas has an awful night efficiency wise, while Nash hits over 50% of his shots. Arenas also turns the ball over 5 times to Nash’s 0! So far this game leaves the least amount of debate and goes to NOT ARENAS. (Kings win this 1 by one which makes Gil’s shooting night especially brutal.)
Day 30: Lakers vs Hornets
Gilbert Arenas: 10 of 30 for 26 points
Terrel Brandon: 9 of 17 for 24 points
Today I learned Terrel Brandon is on the Hornets roster. Fun! Gil has another very off night, shooting 33% from the floor, including 25% from 3. In addition to taking a day off on the efficiency metric, he mailed in his status as a defender, letting C+/B- scorer Terrel Brandon shoot over 50% from the field. This is not a performance to be particularly thrilled with. Gil makes up for it with 5 steals and only 1 turnover, but a scorer of Brandon’s caliber needs to be held in check better than this. This round goes to NOT ARENAS.
Day 29: Lakers vs Nuggets
Gilbert Arenas: 17 of 32 for 48 points
Tim Hardaway 6 of 14 for 14 points
These are exactly the kind of nights that can instantly make you forgot about any vulnerabilities Arenas may have. That he let his opposing PG shoot a decent % is of no matter when you pour in 48 points on over 50% from the field. A perfectly reasonably 2 steal and 2 turnover night puts a beautiful bow on one of Arena’s best performances in his short career. This round is very lopsided and goes to ARENAS
Day 28: Clippers vs Lakers
Gilbert Arenas: 18 of 38 for 44 points
Bobby Jackson: 17 of 22 for 37 points
I love this comparison so much. Gilbert has another amazing night with 44 points on nearly 50% shooting. You would think this would give him the no doubt edge in a matchup. However, you would be wrong! Humble Bobby Jackson, a very good player in his own right, but no one’s idea of a superstar has an amazing night of his own. I take that back - Jackson has amazing splits and while the Clippers would surely like his steals to be higher he is an awesome player. Regardless, Jackson shoots a whopping 77%!!! From the field this game, completely negating Gil’s performance. Gil does a little better in the TO category while Jackson does a little better in the steals category. Because of the 77% shooting on high volume I give this round to NOT ARENAS
Day 27: Warriors vs Lakers
Gilbert Arenas: 11 of 23 for 25 points
Chucky Atkins: 10 of 19 for 25 points
Wow. A nearly identical PG stat line. Atkins is a perfectly serviceable PG, but you hope that he doesn’t drop nearly 10 more than his season average in scoring on any given night. This one is as tight as can be, with the TO’s and stealth being nearly identical. Atkins has a slightly more efficient night from the floor, but with the comparison being this tight I have no choice but to award this round A TIE
Day 26: Lakers vs Clippers
Gilbert Arenas: 13 of 40 for 28 points
Bobby Jackson: 10 of 19 for 22 points
A second look at this matchup yields different results. Arenas has an awful night, bricking 27 of the 40 shots he attempted, while Bobby Jackson shoots over 50% from the floor in a 22 point effort. Arenas scores 6 more points, but attempts 21 more shots. The steals and TO’s are deadlocked at 2, but that wouldn’t matter because Bobby Jackson has Arenas’s number in the two games we’ve looked at here. This round goes to Jackson again, which is to say NOT ARENAS
Day 25: Lakers vs Grizzlies
Arenas plays 1 minute in this game, NEXT
Day 24: Lakers vs Celtics
Gilbert Arenas: 13 of 32 for 32 points
Mike Bibby: 12 of 22 for 30 points
Gil has an offer day, but not terrible as he manages to shoot 41% against Bibby, good for 32 points. Bibby responds with a 55% effort from the field and scores only 2 points fewer than Arenas while taking 10 fewer shots. Hibachi also turns the ball over 5 times this game, so this round pretty clearly goes to NOT ARENAS.
So there you have it. Some world class analysis of the league’s leading scorer. He does have some deficiencies to address, but with only one TC under his belt it might be feasible to get him to a respectable C+ defense. GM Nanz still has to be thrilled that Gil's TO's don't seem to be as much of a problem as previously thought. Regardless, any GM would be thrilled to have a 2nd year player who is the league's leading scorer on their roster. Arenas is going to be a very fun player to watch develop going forward.
Day 34: Lakers vs Grizzlies
Gilbert Arenas 6 of 17 for 14 points
Eric Snow 2 of 6 for 6 points
Unfortunately, there isn’t much of substance in the most recent game the Lakers played. Gil had a very off night, while his main matchup, the venerable Eric Snow, refused to shoot. Snow did turn the ball over 6 times this game, although Arenas finished the game with 2 steals, so Snow’s TO’s were determined mostly outside of Gil’s D. Both PG’s played awful. If Gil has a night that’s closer to what he averages, the Lakers win this game, but instead lose by 10. Because of the awful comparison here I will give the edge to NOT ARENAS strictly because the Lakers lose this game.
Day 33: Nuggets vs Lakers
Gilbert Arenas: 14 of 24 for 32 points
Tim Hardaway 2 of 12 for 5 points
Tito Maddox 5 of 10 for 11 points
Arenas has a nice efficient game here, while also limiting the opposing PG’s. This is not a great comparison test here either as the Nuggets PG’s were never going to be attempting many shots with the likes of Jordan, Rose, and Pierce on the roster. Also Tito and Tim combined for 62 minutes so there is no way to reasonably say who was guarding them during this game. Efficient night for Tito though. Arenas goes off, the Nuggets PG’s don’t attempt any shots, so I give this round to ARENAS
Day 32: Lakers vs Pistons
Gilbert Arenas: 9 of 19 for 32 points
Nick Van Exel 9 of 15 for 23 points
Arenas has a night that is probably a median performance for him this season, which is great! He has a low TO game to go with 11 assists. However, he lets Nick the Quick rain it in on him. Not always the best outcome to let Van Exel score 23 points while shooting 60% from the field. Nick also has a good game TO wise with 1 to go with 3 steals. Despite the lower point total, I have to give the Nick the slight edge here because of how efficient he was. This round goes to NOT ARENAS
Day 31: Kings vs Lakers
Gilbert Arenas: 6 of 22 for 15 points
Steve Nash: 10 of 19 for 24 points
Love this matchup of superstar point guards. Guarding Nash is a tough ask for any BBS point guard, but particularly of someone with C- defense. Fortunately for Arenas, the same is true of C rated defender Steve Nash. The eye test on this stat line is pretty telling. Arenas has an awful night efficiency wise, while Nash hits over 50% of his shots. Arenas also turns the ball over 5 times to Nash’s 0! So far this game leaves the least amount of debate and goes to NOT ARENAS. (Kings win this 1 by one which makes Gil’s shooting night especially brutal.)
Day 30: Lakers vs Hornets
Gilbert Arenas: 10 of 30 for 26 points
Terrel Brandon: 9 of 17 for 24 points
Today I learned Terrel Brandon is on the Hornets roster. Fun! Gil has another very off night, shooting 33% from the floor, including 25% from 3. In addition to taking a day off on the efficiency metric, he mailed in his status as a defender, letting C+/B- scorer Terrel Brandon shoot over 50% from the field. This is not a performance to be particularly thrilled with. Gil makes up for it with 5 steals and only 1 turnover, but a scorer of Brandon’s caliber needs to be held in check better than this. This round goes to NOT ARENAS.
Day 29: Lakers vs Nuggets
Gilbert Arenas: 17 of 32 for 48 points
Tim Hardaway 6 of 14 for 14 points
These are exactly the kind of nights that can instantly make you forgot about any vulnerabilities Arenas may have. That he let his opposing PG shoot a decent % is of no matter when you pour in 48 points on over 50% from the field. A perfectly reasonably 2 steal and 2 turnover night puts a beautiful bow on one of Arena’s best performances in his short career. This round is very lopsided and goes to ARENAS
Day 28: Clippers vs Lakers
Gilbert Arenas: 18 of 38 for 44 points
Bobby Jackson: 17 of 22 for 37 points
I love this comparison so much. Gilbert has another amazing night with 44 points on nearly 50% shooting. You would think this would give him the no doubt edge in a matchup. However, you would be wrong! Humble Bobby Jackson, a very good player in his own right, but no one’s idea of a superstar has an amazing night of his own. I take that back - Jackson has amazing splits and while the Clippers would surely like his steals to be higher he is an awesome player. Regardless, Jackson shoots a whopping 77%!!! From the field this game, completely negating Gil’s performance. Gil does a little better in the TO category while Jackson does a little better in the steals category. Because of the 77% shooting on high volume I give this round to NOT ARENAS
Day 27: Warriors vs Lakers
Gilbert Arenas: 11 of 23 for 25 points
Chucky Atkins: 10 of 19 for 25 points
Wow. A nearly identical PG stat line. Atkins is a perfectly serviceable PG, but you hope that he doesn’t drop nearly 10 more than his season average in scoring on any given night. This one is as tight as can be, with the TO’s and stealth being nearly identical. Atkins has a slightly more efficient night from the floor, but with the comparison being this tight I have no choice but to award this round A TIE
Day 26: Lakers vs Clippers
Gilbert Arenas: 13 of 40 for 28 points
Bobby Jackson: 10 of 19 for 22 points
A second look at this matchup yields different results. Arenas has an awful night, bricking 27 of the 40 shots he attempted, while Bobby Jackson shoots over 50% from the floor in a 22 point effort. Arenas scores 6 more points, but attempts 21 more shots. The steals and TO’s are deadlocked at 2, but that wouldn’t matter because Bobby Jackson has Arenas’s number in the two games we’ve looked at here. This round goes to Jackson again, which is to say NOT ARENAS
Day 25: Lakers vs Grizzlies
Arenas plays 1 minute in this game, NEXT
Day 24: Lakers vs Celtics
Gilbert Arenas: 13 of 32 for 32 points
Mike Bibby: 12 of 22 for 30 points
Gil has an offer day, but not terrible as he manages to shoot 41% against Bibby, good for 32 points. Bibby responds with a 55% effort from the field and scores only 2 points fewer than Arenas while taking 10 fewer shots. Hibachi also turns the ball over 5 times this game, so this round pretty clearly goes to NOT ARENAS.
So there you have it. Some world class analysis of the league’s leading scorer. He does have some deficiencies to address, but with only one TC under his belt it might be feasible to get him to a respectable C+ defense. GM Nanz still has to be thrilled that Gil's TO's don't seem to be as much of a problem as previously thought. Regardless, any GM would be thrilled to have a 2nd year player who is the league's leading scorer on their roster. Arenas is going to be a very fun player to watch develop going forward.
