Gilbert Arenas isn’t one to hold back, and his track record with calling out NBA stars proves it. Over the years, Arenas has taken plenty of jabs at Rudy Gobert, even after the big man’s Defensive Player of the Year wins. But now, the former Warriors guard is shifting his focus with a critique that isn’t just about Gobert’s skills. This time, Arenas came with a bold idea that can change Adam Silver’s NBA.

Gil’s Arena stirred up the conversation with a clip featuring Arenas diving deep into what makes a great defender. “The best defensive player uses the least energy,” Arenas explained. He then tore into the NBA’s analytics, saying, “If you start doing their heart rate and how much movement Rudy does versus like a Conley or somebody, you will realize like your metrics of defense is wrong.”

His point? The current system of judging defense might be setting the wrong bar altogether. And he has suggestions.

“Someone who’s picking up full court, going through screens, digging down, closing out, and then you get the block. The block is not the defense there,” he said bluntly. “There should be two standards because you’re not judging the guy who made him turn 12 times. Ask us people who can put that motherfu-ker in the basket. Who are they afraid of? The list is gonna look very different than the list they put out.”

Of course, Gobert didn’t escape Arenas’ criticism. The Timberwolves center has been a regular target for his defensive style. However, Arenas also came to his defense in a past episode, saying, “He is getting a bunch of hate that really, he ain’t deserve and he just in the right place at the right time. That’s all it is.”

Even co-host Nick Young had his own playful jab, pointing out Gobert’s reputation for doing “goofy sh-t” on the court. While Gobert might not win over Gil’s Arena, his polarizing game seems to always keep him in the headlines—for better or worse.

Gil doesn’t hold back on Rudy Gobert’s defense

On Gil’s Arena, the outspoken former NBA guard questioned Rudy Gobert’s status as an elite defender, calling out flaws in his performance. “He is a liability. We’ve been watching it over and over, right? Utah—‘He can’t play defense. We can’t use him defensively; take him out,’” Arenas said in last August when Gobert’s defense fell short, despite his reputation as a shot-blocking specialist.

Interestingly, Gilbert Arenas’ comments followed an eye-opening revelation from Vincent Collet, France’s head coach. Ahead of their match against Canada, Collet admitted that the team chose Victor Wembanyama over Gobert for a defense-first lineup. “They are clearly saying, ‘We want to think defense, we need to bench this ni–a,’” Gil said after the incident.

And Arenas wasn’t done. He doubled down on the contradiction, questioning the value of Gobert’s awards. “He’s considered the best defensive player, but when you need him to be defensively, he is being pulled off the floor. It’s a contradiction to his awards,” Arenas said.

This isn’t the first time Gobert’s defense has been called out under pressure. During the 2024 playoffs, Luka Doncic’s Mavericks ran circles around the Timberwolves, leaving them down 0-3 in the conference finals. Even after Gobert’s fourth DPOY award, Arenas was ruthless. “That trophy says Defensive Player of the Year. Not help side defender… If they take you out of the game dog, you should give your trophies back,” he remarked.

Can Gobert impress Gilbert Arenas?