It seems as if Gilbert Arenas may be trying to spark something in the rivalry residing in Los Angeles. Recently on the Gil’s Arena podcast, Agent Zero decided to dive deep into what Paul George said to him once after playing the Los Angeles Lakers. Subliminally dissing LeBron James and the Lakers, this is something Lakers loyalists may not want to hear.
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While on the podcast, Arenas described what Paul Geroge said to him after facing off against their inter-city rivals. When asked how easy it was to defend the Lakers, George told Arenas, “Oh, it’s easy. It’s easy as hell because the guy that I’m guarding don’t shoot.”
The Los Angeles Lakers may have three All-Stars on their roster but the team does not possess any shooting threats. Arenas went on to highlight how any defense would focus on guys who can shoot since they already know what the other players will do on the floor.
As per StatMuse, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to long-range shooting. The Lakers are in the third-last position when it comes to three-pointers made, dead-last in three-pointers attempted, and at the 20th position when talking about a team’s three-point percentage.
However, contrary to how Paul George felt it was easy to defend against the players in Purple and Gold, the Lakers did get the best of the Los Angeles Clippers in a 106-103 win the last time these two teams met on the floor.
Despite George’s comments, the Lakers had a 0.1% advantage when it came to comparing each team’s three-point percentage. And when it came to field goal percentage, the Lakers triumphed over the Clippers by a huge margin.
That said, while the Clippers may have lost their last matchup with the Lakers, Paul George’s statement still does hold some value. The Lakers had signed certain players to help with the team’s long-range shooting but injuries and constant changes to the team’s starting rotation did not let that help settle in.
This is why George felt it was easy defending LeBron James‘ Lakers as only certain players may have the green light to shoot long-range bombs, making it easy for opponents to cover the floor.
Arenas goes off on LeBron James’ Lakers
In the past, Gilbert Arenas has been quite vocal about his disappointment with the Los Angeles Lakers this season. The team did struggle last season too but always hung in the balance in the Western Conference. And eventually made a strong push come playoff time.
However, that has certainly not been the case this year. Given how the Lakers gave some big contracts to players, Agent Zero voiced his displeasure with those players and also Lakers head coach, Darvin Ham.
Though Arenas may have a certain stance against Ham, the Los Angeles Lakers head coach too had urged that the team did need more shooters. Given how their All-Stars playstyle is on the court, players who can spread the floor would be ideal in that situation for LA.
Gilbert Arenas even went so far as to urge LeBron James and other Los Angeles players to trade away their teammates in return for some good shooters.
According to rumors, the Los Angeles Lakers were quite close in trading for Buddy Hield, a proven three-point threat last year. The deal also had Myles Turner in the mix but alas. Laker fans never got to see that come to fruition, ever.
Now that the NBA trade deadline is only a few weeks away, be on the lookout for the Lakers making some big moves as they did last season. And maybe, this just might end up being the change they require to kick it into high gear as the second half of the season approaches.
