Gilbert Arenas Says KG Could've Been Better Than Duncan 

You know the take is bad when Mccants is making the most sense. 😂

For the first time McCants has the most rational take. Gil should take a look at Tims numbers on the 99 Finals. He was the Finals MVP, the best player on the best team, not just along for the ride. HE carried the Spurs to championships not the other way round.

Gil is the king of moving that goal post to fit his explanation 😂

Don’t forget Robinson suffered a back injury prior to the 1996-97 season and returned to play in six games before suffering a fractured left foot. The Spurs slumped to 20-62, but for them was also a chance to grab the No. 1 selection in the 1997 Draft Lottery. The prize of that Draft was Tim Duncan.

Duncan WAS the system 💯🔥🐐

You can't devalue Tim Duncan's talent. Even KG said he was a problem.

Tim Duncan went on to win several more championships without those players give that man his props

TD was so good he was the reason the Spurs were so good and had to get TP and Manu late in drafts and helped them evolve into the best versions of themselves. I’m a huge KG fan too, obviously. Dude would have been a problem on the Spurs as well but TD actually did that shit.

Tim Duncan carried Parker, Ginobli, and Pop to the hall of fame.

To be fair, Timmy did average 21-12 as a rookie 😂😂😂😂 so it took more than just an anybody to come in a win 😂

Tim Duncan was 1st Team All NBA, 2nd Team All Defense, All Star, Rookie of the Year, as a rookie. You dont do that just because you are on a good team. If he had gone to the Twolves He might have averaged 30 and 15 as a rookie. He was an All Time Great From the Jump. The Spurs became the Spurs as we knew them, because of Tim Duncan.

KG answered this already. I also remember watching Timmy giving KG and everybody else quiet, efficient, consistent double doubles

I died when he referred to Duncan as a "Fill in piece" 😂😂😂😂 Gil be talking crazy AF sometimes 😂😂😂

Brandon first take is so true. I hate that they devalue someone cause who drafts them.

people perpetually sleep on how ridiculously dominant timmys prime was

The year before the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan, they actually didn’t tank. They just had a lot of injuries. I remember David Robinson had a bad back and missed most of the season and I think Sean Elliot was hurt too. Boston actually had a worst record and was projected to get the number pick. Spurs just “happen” to win the lottery.

The problem with Gill's argument is that regardless of the success of The Spurs prior to Duncan, David was not nearly the same player he used to be and the arrival of Duncan saw him immediately thrusted into the "leader" role primarily because of his maturity at college level. Also, Pop coaching KG and their relationship might not have been as successful as Pop and Duncan relationship. They're a lot of factors to take into consideration, but the glaring fact is Duncan was the main reason the Spurs won in 99, 03 and 05. It's clear that Timmy is the most disrespected superstar in the history of the NBA. had not for Ray he would be 6-0 like Jordan.

GIL always shifting the debates. Duncan was more polished coming in. And he won in his rookie year. We can’t say KG would have won because we don’t know. And Duncan won a couple of more with out David Robinson and before Kawhi. Meaning once Duncan got there spurs was in the hunt pretty much yearly

Mccants being objective.. Let me sip this drink and right quick cuz I'm perplexed😂

Duncan could do things physically that KG couldn't. That's what really separates them. For example, Duncan could guard Shaq for long stretches and hold his own against him which was very important when the Spurs played the Lakers. Shaq would have run over Garnett easily. Duncan also physically could easily back down guys in the post whenever the Spurs needed a bucket. These 2 things seem little, but they are very big and were important for the Spurs during their title runs. KG could not do those things and hence the Spurs would not win with him.

gil speaks with so much conviction he has fooled people into thinking he knows what he's talking about but the more he speaks you understand why he never won as a player

Duncan was the number one option on that team when he came there as a rookie David Robinson said so himself he didn't have any problems stepping back

Does anyone else notice K-Mart literally napping during a segment he would have the most input seeing he guarded both of them his entire career

Both HOF like Kenyon said but Duncan definitely had the better situation to start. Duncan also almost went to Orlando, I think his skills would go with him anywhere. KG left Minnesota too late, their front office could never pick a direction to build around him.

Quick facts. Tim Duncan was the San Antonio Spurs' first overall pick in 1997. He led the Spurs to five NBA championships: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. He has won championships over 3 different decades (90s, 2000s, 2010s). He is the only player to do so. With that being said, his winning percentage since the year he got drafted is dumb crazy. Making a small market Spurs team title contenders almost every year.

And spurs didn't tank. Admiral got injured

This has been my opinion since I first saw KG. It’s not a knock on Timmy…he was incredible but the difference to me was the way KG would face up from 20 ft and take you off the dribble like Olajuwon. Timmy could do it too but he was less athletic wit it. KG legit looked like a big ass SF most nights. If he was in this era…he woulda had a 3ball and this wouldn’t even be a conversation imo. The modern PF is the evolution of KG without question. Great points by all the guys tho fa sho🔥

I want them to debate on who would’ve won more championships between Bird and Magic if they switched teams.

Tim Duncan is criminally underrated. Dude was the best defensive player to never win dpoy . Check the #s , defensive win shares etc., every year he at the top. But its also fair to say KG would do the same if in that same position KG was a absolute dog!!!!! 2 way player just like Duncan

they sleepin on tim duncan. just cause he wasn't exciting. tim duncan was mr fundamental. one of the best players at his position ever

McCants nailed it. Rookie year Duncan was 1st team all nba. Which means he was a top 5 player rookie year. Next year he carried a team to a ring. KG was not ready to do that

David Robinson got injured at the beginning of that season. They didn't tank. Pop fired the coach and made himself coach. RC Burford drafts Duncan. Rest is history

Gil is really underestimating Duncan's impact here. The Spurs were always a top 10 defense with Duncan regardless of who else was on the roster because he was such a dominant rim protector. KG was prolly more versatile than Duncan defensively but in terms of rim protection, he just wasn't on Duncan's level, and at that time rim protection was more valuable than switchability on the defensive end because 3-point shooting & floor spacing wasn't as prevalent around the league as it is today.

Duncan won with 3 different core groups. Try again. Also, he started taking less money to win. And if you honestly think that Duncan wouldn't have won more with Minnesota than KG did with Minnesota, then you cannot be helped

I love KG & even he will tell you Duncan was HIM regardless of the teammates, and those last 3 chips he was the sole Big & Superstar

I love this show. they could ve just answer the question "who is better", instead of they argue about something totally off the topic for most of the time

Tim Duncan's personality allowed him to be as unselfish as he was in the Spurs system, couple that with Tim's superior post game and killer instinct in the playoffs he's just an objectively better player. Early in KGs years he was criticized for not being as impactful/agressive in the playoffs, and in his big three years he was not the closer, Allen and Pierce were. Tim Duncan was a better scorer and was equally good at defense with KG, Tim was also a better leader by far and was team first throughout his entire career. Tim is easily the better player and the only reason these guy's are making this dumbass debate is cuz there cool with KG and wanna hype him up, if Tim was a sociable dude and flashy in playstyle I swear these guy's wouldn't bring this up.

I wonder if Gil feels the same way about himself. Like if he was drafted to a winning team, he would be considered a greater player…maybe even a HOF player. He seems to not be impressed with the guys like Duncan and Magic, and Kobe who lands on good teams vs starting with bad teams. 🤷‍♂️

Kenyon Martin sitting there with his hand on his face is classic 😂😂😂😂😂, in his mind he's saying... DAMNIT!!

Im a biased KG fan. Tim was a monster. He also came to a perennial playoff veteran squad and a organization that was pretty stable. KG went to an organization that was 6 yrs old, not stable, made critical mistakes, did under the table deals that cost them 1st rd draft picks and KG wasted prime years there. Pop cared for Tim and stretched out his career with load management and cuttin his minutes down to have him fresh for the playoffs. From 26-35 Tim went from 39 min to 28, decreasing every yr. Kevin Garnett, who came in the league 2 yrs younger, at age 30 before he got traded to Boston, played 39 min. Minny ran him to the ground

It's crazy how Rashad McCants of all people is making more sense than Gil on this topic. Gil trippin🤣🤣

A rare situation that Rashad is right 😂😂

They didn't sit players just to sit them,David Robinson was out most of that year with a back injury

This is a great topic and I never seeing it taking anything away from Duncan. It’s just contextualizing the circumstances of being drafted by a stable organization, great players, and one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time. KG and Duncan m, imo, are equally skilled and talented, one just had better fortune. But that doesn’t take away from Duncan being the greatest power forward all time. Plus I have KG #2 best power forward anyways. It’s a nice hypothetical discussion.

I’m gone tell y’all this from 97 until 2004 Tim Duncan was the system Gil is also leaving out that Robinson was also on a decline and the spurs was one of the oldest teams in the nba at the time. And tim always played his best in the playoffs can’t say the same for kg

McCants won this one, Gil’s point about the Spurs being a better chance to win is fair but falls apart once you factor in the fact that Parker and Ginobili were drafted later in the timeline. They could’ve easily picked earlier in those drafts and not gotten either one of those guys. And whose to say that the guys they would’ve gotten would fit with KG as well as Parker and Ginobili fit with Tim? That being said; Tim won 5 with the Spurs, I have no reason to believe that KG would have won any more or any less if they traded places, I say it’s a tie.

Got to love Gil's show, these guys are real.

Both are great:Duncan so fundamentally sound offensively and defensively:KG was a defensive terror(all 5 positions)and all around offensive player.Funal analysis, Duncan was quiet and great,KG was hyper and great !HOF'-s to the fullness!

TD’s unselfish and humble nature is what allowed the Spurs organization to blossom the way it did. He let himself be coached like any other player and carried no ego. I don’t know that KG would have done that, I doubt it.

Rashad is right on this on. Spurs was a good team, but they wasn’t much outside of David Robinson. Them picking up Tim did push them over the hill.

Exactly it’s all about where ya go and the teammates you have.

KG would’ve won 3 championships in my opinion that is 1999, 2005, and 2007 but depending on how Tim Duncan changes that Minnesota culture I can still see Duncan as the better player than KG

Tim is better. They keep forgetting that Tim did it with 2 different core rosters. Additionally in 2 different eras. Lastly he was one putback from going 6-0 in the finals.

It's Timmy... I'm a massive KG fan but c'mon Duncan is crazy underrated. If Duncan is on those Celtics team I'm betting they win more than one championship. I don't necessarily think KG wins 5 with Spurs. Duncan fits any system... he was gonna be successful basically anywhere

I follow along regularly. I’ve never agreed with Rashad on ANYTHING, he’s all cap, but this time he actually made sense…

Gil moved the goalpost 50x. 😂😂😂Rashad got this 1

Seems like Gil didn't put much respect on Duncan's name🤔

Kg played for 3 different teams and got 1 ring Duncan has 5 rings on 1 team and was consistent the whole time

To be fair it wasn’t a intentional tank the team was suffering from injuries, also duncan average over 20 pts and 10 rebounds his rookie year so he wasn’t just along for the ride, I firmly believe the spurs wouldve won with KG as well he was also a HOF Talent, But tim would’ve had sustained success regardless where he was drafted he was that generational, Ticket is a HOF Great, Fundamentals was a Generational Great

Gil can talk that talk, I'm on shrooms. Words and statements so elegant.😂

I think what's not being said is that if the Spurs thought that KG would've been that great they could've traded up for him in the draft. No one really knew Minnesota was going to take KG at 5.

The Spurs did not have DR available that year because of injuries. They did not tank on purpose.

For me Tim Duncan falls into that Magic Johnson category too. He got drafted to the Lakers who were a 5th-seed team when they picked Magic. Imagine if GS drafted Ant Edwards, his career would turn out totally different. Tim's coach was Pop his entire career, and KG had Doc, a much lesser coach. They did their thing when it was all said and done, but we can't ignore that they got a headstart in the league. We have to seriously consider this when weighing Minnesota to San Antonio in the 90s. Not saying KG would've won 5 rings, but he would've definitely had more than 3 as a Spur.

I stopped watching media takes on sports and Gil breaks everything down perfectly

KG and Tim Duncan were so close that it's absolutely true. Almost all of their numbers are identical. Main difference in their career was Tim playing for the Spurs and KG was in Minnesota. That's fact

Gil straight up missed with this take 😂

They're missing a very important detail. Gil said 2 years before drafting Tim, Spurs won 59. The next year, i.e. the year before drafting Tim, David Robinson was INJURED, which allowed them to tank to 20 wins, and get Tim. Robinson then came back the next year. It would be like having a perennial contender with a previous MVP get injured one year, and the next, they get Lebron. A decent (but not perfect) example would be if KG got injured in 2002-2003 and the Wolves were able to pick Lebron. Obviously that would have made a giant difference in both of their careers.

Where you get drafted helps a lot! Imagine KGs learning curve if he goes to San Antonio tho

I think the point Gil is trying to make is that the way we view certain players has a lot to do with their circumstances and not necessarily how good they are in comparison to other players. It’s possible that KG could’ve had a better career than Duncan if they’re roles were reversed. That wouldn’t mean that KG is better than him though but the entire narrative around the conversation would change.

Tim Duncan was a polished center coming out of Wake Forest that could play both the 4 and the 5. Tim Duncan became the number 1 option on the Spurs by his second season. Sean Elliott was a shell of himself after his injuries. There was a decline in David Robinson game as well due to his back injuries. They didn't have any other scorers on that 1999 Spurs team. The Spurs heavily relied on Tim Duncan. KG was a 3/4, and I felt like his game wasn't polished until around 2003.

When Kevin Garnett got Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell, both past their primes, he took the team to the Western Conference Finals and won league MVP. When he got Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, he won the championship. It's pretty obvious to me that KG would have similar results in Duncan's role.

At this point I need rashad to switch with the camera man lol

2003 finals from Duncan was more impressive than anything KG did during his whole career and it’s not close. And I’m a huge KG fan

KG not winning as much chips as Duncan did on that team. Duncan was in college all four years and was a mature adult. KG wasn’t good his first year in the league. Tim came in a finished product averaging 20 and 10. Kg didn’t hit that till his third year

The devalue of Tim Duncan is crazy

Gilbert is wild. Tim Duncan beat eveeyone in their prime. He wasnt lacking.

David Robinson was injured and missed most of the season previous season before Duncan was drafted

I can see both sides but I’m leaning more with Rashad due to the fact that even though San Antonio was a solid team before Duncan got there, no championships were won til he got added on.

Duncan is probably the best power forward in NBA history but I'm a KG guy and he's always in my top 5 starting lineup...they are two different PF but both are great and HOFs

*to me Tim was a Center that played as a power forward* 7'0 ft KG 6'11.

1 day I was watching a game on NBC and Dominic Wilkins started to dominate during a game and they sat him down right after the announcer said wouldn't it be great if Tim Duncan came to this team to play with David Robinson after heals from injury

This was a good ass debate. Gilbert was getting cooked 😂😂

They fail to realize David Robinson was already hurt in 1996. They also fail to realize the Spurs the following year after they won the championship lost to the Phoenix Suns without Jason Kidd, who called up retired KJ in the first round when Tim Duncan was injured. They also get bounced out by the superstar Shaq and Kobe Lakers until 2003 where Duncan kicked both of their asses and won the Spurs a title without a all-star caliber player, Drob was washed, Parker and Manu were young and not all-star caliber ready. KG would not win the 2003 ring that Duncan was able to win with them. I think Duncan could win a ring with Minnesota in 2004, maybe… but that is a hypothetical scenario that cannot be proven factually. Tim Duncan is the greatest PF of all time for still being able to win 2003 which is his most impressive ring, multiple MVPs, won 3 titles with a co-superstar, or with two all-stars in a seven game series, being coachable, pay-cuts, no drama and Coach Pop in those early spurs systems relied heavily on Tim Duncan more so than what we think of Spurs basketball in the mid 2000s to the 2010s. I also would like to mention that Kevin Garnett was the best player in 2004 even if he couldn’t lead them to a championship, a western conf finals appearance with the roster he had and Cassell being injured in a series didn’t help either, KG was also very impressive

6:40 when you speak just to be heard😂😂😂😂😂

No disrespect to KG but TD was an efficient scorer. These facts matter when discussing the post season. TD was had a package that was simply unmatched, KG had a mentally that was elite that could carry a team beyond a championship but TD was simply that guy although quite quite while destroying in the post season - a spurs fan

Big W for McCants this one 😂💀

KG was an 20 year old all star in his second season and was perenially(like Duncan) for the next decade. KG's hindrance was that he rarely attempted to be offensively dominant. He scored 20+PPG a game for most of his career when he should have been 25-28 a game for that same span. KG was more athletic, with a better handle and passing skills with more range. KG was skilled in the post but Duncan was better inside. They both were exceptional rebounders. They were both great defensively, but KG was also versatile a defender as he could and would guard perimeter players at times, Duncan was primarily on the block. Dumcan benefited from playing on a team that had a solid team that maintained being a contender. If Marbury had not left Minnesota and they comtinued to build, history might have have been different was a dominant guard and better than Parker and Ginobili.

I like this convo they needa talk about Melo taking Darko's spots w/ that crazy Detroit team. It woulda been a Tim Duncan to the Spurs scenario cuz Detroit was a chip team.

Damn. I didn’t know David Robinson breaking his foot in 96-97 was the Spurs tanking. Learn something new everyday lmaooo

What separates KG and Duncan is playoff scoring. Duncan was a much better playoff scorer than KG was. KG didn’t have the best post game.

Tbh I’m just thinking of how crazy Boston would have been with Tim omg.. especially when you consider the fact that Duncan’s game aged way better that Kgs

Gil is right. Duncan is not winning 5 chips with the t-wolves. I do think he was still a better individual player than Garnett though.

The thing people forget about KG or not old enough to remember watching is that he played very much perimeter… in a era where you had 2 big guys in the paint he physically couldn’t dominate in the post like Duncan who had a more physical presence on the block just go back and watch kg he literally would stand at the top of the key and feed a guy in the post

Tim Duncan is the only other player to have Kobe like stats of his era he shared with Kobe an KG got that 1 chip on the back in of his career to Tims 5 chips 🏀💯 love them both

Miami Heat fan here... but if you swap EXACT career paths of each person, I bet Duncan gets more than 1 chip in Boston w/ Pierce & Allen. 👀

Gil emotional asf. Dude really trying to argue that TD didn’t really impact the Spurs that much, they tanked to get a good pick, and they would have been even better with KG is crazy. This is more nuanced than Gil’s ignorant take. TD’s level head and basketball IQ would have made him successful on any team. But, the Spurs were the perfect fit, and he attributed to their dynasty run better than KG could have. At the same time, the type of player TD was, he probably couldn’t have impacted the Twolves the way KG did. Both teams got what was best for their situations.

Duncan, kg, Rasheed, c-webb, dirk, pau, [ the power forwards were off the chain TALENTED in the early y2ks]

POOR GIL HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO CONTINUE WITH SOUNDING CRAZY 😂😂😂😂😂

Here's a question. Do y'all think Timmy is the Tim we know if he went to a Major city and all that comes with that? I think Tim is a HOF either way but he was a guy that needed the culture of San Antonio to mentally succeed. He had incredibly great fortune

im taking KG as an individual talent and 1 on 1 player on both ends and not by a lot its very close and can go both ways however when it comes to system and team play duncan to me is clear cut ahead in that department not knocking KG on that its just that duncan was so coachable and had the perfect personality to lead alongside pops and had that stone cold killer mentality that made him be the most consistent player in NBA history(arguably)