Thanasis Antetokounmpo Over PJ Tucker: Is Gilbert Arenas Valid In His ‘Harsh’ Criticism Towards Veteran Forward?

The Los Angeles Clippers released a statement on Sunday to inform fans that P.J. Tucker would be away from the organization ahead of the upcoming season. The statement claimed that it was a mutually agreed decision. Tucker’s omission from the team and the reason behind that was met with some harsh criticism from Gilbert Arenas.

On an episode of his podcast, Arenas ridiculed Tucker. He said the 39-year-old shouldn’t dream of becoming a regular starter on the team and should focus on whatever role he was offered. Responding to his comments, Jeff Teague and the Club 520 Podcast panel said that Arenas was “outta pocket” for his suggestion.

Tucker was being kept out of the active rotation, which led to him asking for a trade. He could have saved himself from all the drama if he asked for it internally. In February 2024, the NBA fined him $75,000 for publicly asking for a trade.

He had issues with the franchise, and he wasn’t getting any spots in their regular rotation. In the official statement, the Clippers said, “We’ve had ongoing conversations with P.J. throughout the offseason and have both decided that he won’t be with the team for the time being.”

When the news of Tucker and the Clippers’ parting went public, Arenas took the opportunity to belittle the NBA veteran on his podcast. He took several shots at the 39-year-old for still asking for a guaranteed spot on a team with a lot of depth options. Arenas also took a deep dive into his last season performance for the 76ers where he was a starter but couldn’t make any impact.

He said, “You know who you are as a player. You started all 75 games last year, you averaged 3.5 [points per game] You know you weren’t really a starter, just the situation you were in, you got to start. This year, came back, you weren’t a starter.” He doubled down after that by claiming that any team would prefer having Thanasis Antetokounmpo in their rotation over him.

He said, “So you can act like Thanasis, right, and be happy you are in the fu***ng NBA… If I’ve gotta pay somebody $5 million, Thanasis will be paid $5 million before you, P.J. I’m sorry. How he presents himself, I know he’s not gonna poison the rest of the team.”

Teague, who won a championship with Tucker in 2021, said that he talked to his friend and was happy to know that he was doing well. He then called out Arenas, saying, “Gil you outta pocket…Nah, f**k outta here.” The panel agreed that Tucker had put in so much work in the last 18 years and that he deserved to be respected.

Another issue that the panel had was that Arenas stated that Tucker was detrimental to a team’s environment.

Interestingly, the former NBA star marked his presence in the comment section of the podcast clip on Instagram as well. Arenas tried to justify his stance for Teague’s crew by explaining what it means to have a player on the team who might not get to play but will bring great energy to everyone around.

He replied, “I’m just saying! coaches want (ppl who happy to be there and bring energy at the end of the bench, not guys mad they not playing) no shade! just saying if i (have to spend 5 million) imma go with the guy who will bring life into the bench not poison it with negative energy.”

It seems like Arenas values good vibes and a positive attitude over a potential contribution from a bench player. Should that be the difference maker when a franchise adds a player to their side?

Is Thanasis a better player to have on a team than Tucker?

Tucker started his career with the Raptors in 2006-07. After that, he was not part of any team until the Phoenix Suns chose him from 2012 to 2017. The next big stretch that he had with a team was with the Rockets from 2017 to 2021. Similarly, Thanasis was drafted by the Knicks in 2014, but he didn’t make his debut until 2016. After that, he landed directly in Milwaukee in 2019 and has been a part of the franchise ever since.

Comparing the numbers that Tucker put up during his time in Phoenix to Thanasis for the Bucks suggests that as athletes, there’s a stark difference between the two. Tucker averaged 8.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 377 games. He also had a good shot convention rate, going 43.3% from the field and 34.7% from the three-point line.

Thanasis, on the other hand, averages 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 196 games for the Milwaukee franchise. Granted, there’s a seven-year age gap between the two players today, but if Tucker doesn’t want to be a camper, that shouldn’t be held against him to belittle everything else he has done.

Indeed, Thanasis has never complained about his minutes with the Bucks despite only averaging 7.7 MPG, but that isn’t a measuring stick that one can use. On the positive side, Tucker brings a ton of regular season, playoffs, and even Finals experience with him that can be beneficial for any team, especially youngsters. He might have to adjust his ego a little bit, but suggesting that he doesn’t deserve a contract in comparison to Thanasis is indeed “outta pocket.”