In the NBA media sphere, there are a lot of big names and voices that draw attention from a lot of people, especially when discussing the Los Angeles Lakers. The modern landscape of sports discourse certainly rewards hot takes and outlandish opinions, for the simple reason that they get a reaction out of listeners or viewers.
There are few more adept at taking advantage of this structure than Gilbert Arenas. Known for his outside the box takes and unique opinions, the former NBA player often leaves fans wondering if his words are only being used as a device for getting more eyes on him and his podcast.
Much of the time when Arenas shares a take, it is met by a collective groan from many in the NBA community, such as when he recently described Nikola Jokic as "the worst MVP winner of the last 40 years." But every once in a while, Gilbert hits the nail on the head.
Recently, he did just that with his viewpoint of Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham. There have been various reasons for LA's shortcomings this season and for their current 0-2 series hole against the Denver Nuggets, but Ham's coaching mistakes appear among the most prominent according to many.
“He [Darvin Ham] is probably the only coach trying to sub 5 players in the game…Either Anthony Davis or LeBron or both gotta play 45 plus. This is the playoffs, sir.”
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) April 23, 2024
Gilbert Arenas goes OFF on Darvin Ham and the Lakers rotations pic.twitter.com/lA432mM4oc
Gilbert Arenas finally got it right on Darvin Ham
Arenas expressed his assent with the court of public opinion. The biggest shortcoming of Ham's that he called out was the failure to play his star players enough minutes. " is probably the only coach that's trying to sub five players in the game," Gilbert said. "This is the playoffs ... You need to really focus on keeping your stars in the game."
That could be one explanation for the Lakers' collapse against Denver on Monday night. After dominating for much of the game, Anthony Davis left the game for nearly five minutes in the second half and was not nearly as effective down the stretch. As we know, Jamal Murray would eventually hit the game-winner over him.
Gilbert also emphasized the importance of Ham playing a smaller rotation. "You play a six, seven man rotation," he said. "Josh Hart, 48 minutes, 46 minutes. Those guys are not coming out of the game. You're subbing at the 12 minute mark, the nine minute mark, you're the first coach subbing ... You're subbing too much, man."
A lot of people complain about Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau and his tendency to play his top guys extremely heavy minutes. But the reality is, that style tends to work in the playoffs, especially when you have two high-level guys in Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
As a former NBA player, Arenas has been in these situations before and seems to have it right here. The Lakers would do best to at least consider changing up their tactics in Game 3 on Thursday night.