Peak Arenas vs 2023 SGA

[rand]

Who would you take to start a team for a single season in 2023, peak Gilbert Arenas or 2023 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

[1993Playoffs]

I lean towards SGA but I have to see him in the playoffs. Gil is clearly a better shooter But SGA seems like he’ll be more resilient but I gotta see it first.

[IdolW0rm]

Arenas was the better offensive weapon (and had a much higher scoring ceiling imo) but I'd rather start a team with Shai.

[Pelly24]

I feel like Peak Arenas would also reek havoc in today's league, and he was already doing that back then. To me he was alike a top 10 or 15 player, right where I have SGA now. So I'd have them about the same until SGA replicates this for another season

[OkcSinceSGA]

Arenas was the better offensive weapon (and had a much higher scoring ceiling imo) but I'd rather start a team with Shai.

I don’t think he’s a better offensive weapon necessarily. He peaked at 29 ppg on 58% TS and an ORTG of 115. SGA is at 31 ppg on 62% TS with a 125 ORTG. SGA is A LOT more efficient, even if he’s less aggressive in going for 50 point games. Both peak around 20 shots per game, but Arenas was far closer than SGA to going into “chucking” mode.

Can’t knock SGA for longevity in this particular comparison because Arenas did nothing significant in the playoffs and had a 2-3 year peak only.

[IdolW0rm]

Arenas was the better offensive weapon (and had a much higher scoring ceiling imo) but I'd rather start a team with Shai.

I don’t think he’s a better offensive weapon necessarily. He peaked at 29 ppg on 58% TS and an ORTG of 115. SGA is at 31 ppg on 62% TS with a 125 ORTG. SGA is A LOT more efficient, even if he’s less aggressive in going for 50 point games. Both peak around 20 shots per game, but Arenas was far closer than SGA to going into “chucking” mode.

Can’t knock SGA for longevity in this particular comparison because Arenas did nothing significant in the playoffs and had a 2-3 year peak only.

He sure isn't a lot more efficient than Arenas unless you're looking at it in absolute terms, which isn't the best path to follow IMO when comparing two completely different eras. The rules, offensive and defensive approaches changed a whole lot since 06. If anything, Arenas was actually a smidge more efficient relative to the league (+4.5 rTS to +4.4 rTS of Shai).
I also think Arenas was the better passer, and had a higher ceiling as a scorer.

Looking at individual ORTG (which is a poor metric in my eyes) to compare players from 2006 to players from 2023 is also a deeply flawed approach.
What are we supposed to infer from looking at their ORTG's? Shai's 2023 ORTG is higher than 2009 Lebrons (and I think higher than any Lebron year, for that matter). League average is now 115 ortg. Was 106 back in 2006.

Arenas led those Wizards to the 6th (2006) and 4th (2007,and that's with Washington being on a ~27th best offense level in the 9 games he missed) best offenses in the league for 2 years in a row with his best help coming from Jamison and Caron. The translation of his scoring prowess to effectively raising the floor of a team on offense to really good heights is out of question for me.
PI-ORAPM has him among the very elite during his short peak (+3.71 in 06 ; +4.29 in 07), just behind the very best of his era (Nash, Dirk, Kobe, Wade, Allen).

In the PO, we have just one series of peak Arenas we can look at, in 06 vs the Cavs, and his offense actually got better, both in volume and efficiency, while managing to reduce his TO's. He was simply outstanding there, though it's only a 6 game sample, but the little we have doesn't seem to point at his scoring skills being easily diluted in the postseason. We'll have to see about Shai's.
I guess one could argue 05 PS Arenas was very poor, but I think he took a massive leap in 06, thus I wouldn't regard 05 as part of his best version.

That being said, I'd still choose SGA because where I think Arenas has him, I think SGA has that on him times 10 on defense. Arenas was horrible, while SGA is very good.

[Eagle4]

Arenas was the better offensive weapon (and had a much higher scoring ceiling imo) but I'd rather start a team with Shai.

I don’t think he’s a better offensive weapon necessarily. He peaked at 29 ppg on 58% TS and an ORTG of 115. SGA is at 31 ppg on 62% TS with a 125 ORTG. SGA is A LOT more efficient, even if he’s less aggressive in going for 50 point games. Both peak around 20 shots per game, but Arenas was far closer than SGA to going into “chucking” mode.

Can’t knock SGA for longevity in this particular comparison because Arenas did nothing significant in the playoffs and had a 2-3 year peak only.

Eras matter when it comes to scoring as we're in a far more guard friendly league, not to mention less hulking centers guarding the rim to worry about now.
Arenas would average 35ppg in this current NBA.