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Gilbert Arenas says he'd rather be the fourth option on the 2017 Warriors than second on this Lakers
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- Gilbert Arenas says he'd rather be the fourth option on the 2017 Warriors than second on this Lakers
Being one of the NBA's legacy teams, it's not surprising to see the Los Angeles Lakers get a lot of the spotlight. And with all-time greats like LeBron James and Luka Doncic donning the purple and gold jerseys of the Lakers, the spotlight has been shining extra bright on the Lakers this season.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, it also means that every flaw will be scrutinized and every loss will be magnified. And boy, has there been plenty this season, notably the style of play they're employing. With Luka functioning as the lead playmaker, the Lakers are playing at a snail's crawl, averaging only 99.54 possessions per 48 minutes, putting them in 20th place when it comes to pace in the league.
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Taking this into consideration, former All-Star turned popular media personality Gilbert Arenas shared that if given a choice to play a role on the stacked 2017 Golden State Warriors or be the second option on this Lakers squad, he'd undoubtedly head to the Bay Area.
A boring style of play
Luka has been a dominant, do-it-all force in the NBA for the last eight years. This season, he's leading the league in scoring at 32.5 points on top of 7.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. However, for all of his offensive brilliance, his style of play isn't for everyone as he tends to dribble the "air out of the ball" and slow down the pace of the game.
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With his teammates often left to just stand around and watch him play, it can make for some boring basketball at times. This was a sentiment shared by Arenas on "The Arena."
"It's basically you got one guy, big man. They set a pick-and-roll, and then everybody else sits in the corner. You shoot it only if you're open. If not, give it back to the point guard — he can do pick-and-roll again," Gil stated .
"So the point guard himself usually has about 50 points, 14, 16 assists. Everybody else is like five-for-five, three-for-five," he added. "All right, I'm not a corner dude, right? I've never been a corner dude. And if I'm going to be a corner dude, I better be a corner dude to a dude that can do it faster. Some of these guys need to understand this."
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Granted, the Lakers feature a top-heavy roster with Luka, LeBron James and Austin Reaves controlling possessions most of the time. However, it's not like the likes of Rui Hachimura , Marcus Smart , and Dalton Knecht are chopped liver; unfortunately, it just seems that way as they have been reduced to mere spectators on every possession.
Gil would rather play a role on those stacked Warriors teams
The 2010s were an era dominated by the Warriors, winning three championships, including back-to-back conquests in 2017 and 2018, thanks to a roster that featured two MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year and numerous All-Stars.
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However, despite the depth of those Dubs teams, Agent Zero said he'd much rather play for them than on this Lakers team, simply because those teams willingly shared the rock. Even though nearly every player was capable of popping off for 30 or more points on any given night, there wasn't a sense of selfishness or individual agendas. Instead, they all looked for the open man and rarely forced the issue.
"Let's say I'm the fourth option. I would rather be the fourth option with the 2017–2018 Golden State Warriors. I would rather play with Steph and KD and Klay than be the second option to some of these guys because of how slow they play," Gil stated.
With the Warriors thriving in an uptempo and unselfish offense, it's easy to understand why Agent Zero would choose them over the current Lakers squad, whose style of play is like lava slowly trickling down a mountain.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
