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Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif
In the wake of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s recent MVP award, the USA vs. Rest of the World debate has regained momentum on the NBA planet. Gilbert Arenas once again took a stance on the subject, focusing specifically on European players.
Whatever the outcome of the duel between Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the crazy series was destined to continue. In the end, the MVP trophy went to an international player. It’s a trend that has continued uninterrupted for seven years now, and one that naturally prompts American observers to ask a few questions.
Gilbert Arenas points out the big advantage of European players
Even before Shai was rewarded for his remarkable season, Gilbert Arenas had already taken the time to compare American and foreign players. He had been rather reductive about the Europeans, who in his eyes could only occupy two positions. In recent hours, however, he has been much more flattering in his Gil’s Arena:
Gilbert Arenas: When you get a European player, it’s like getting a Swiss Army knife. That’s what I’ve noticed about them. They can do a lot of things, so it’s easier to build a team around them. For example, you can put anyone around Jokic. With Giannis, too, you can get away with it. The same goes for Wemby.
Europeans don’t need to be their team’s main scorers. No matter how many scorers or defenders you put around them, they’ll somehow manage to make a big impact. They have more attributes to draw on than the Americans, many of whom are simply scorers. The Europeans, on the other hand, can score, make assists and grab rebounds.
Moreover, according to Arenas, this applies not just to Europeans, but more broadly to international players:
Gilbert Arenas: Take someone like (Josh) Giddey. He can give you averages of 16 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists per game. That’s the kind of player you can give the keys to your offense to.
However, this massive influx of foreign stars into the United States doesn’t apply to all positions, as Agent Zero used France as an example to prove his point:
Gilbert Arenas: It’s the players who are over 6’7 who are taught all these tricks and who are flocking to the league. You only have to look at the French team: all the players are bigs!
