[espn.com/insider] Scouting breakdown:Arenas is a unique combo

For all the Agent Zero fans (including myself) enjoy!



This summer I was working out some guys and I asked them, "Who is the toughest player to guard, off the dribble, in the league?"

Their answer surprised me: Gilbert Arenas.

Later I spoke to a video coach (who breaks down every play from every game and archives them) for a Western Conference team and asked him the same question. He said the same thing my players did.

With that in mind, and after studying Arenas this season, there is only one conclusion I can make: He is the best combo guard in the game today, and the benchmark that future combo guards will be measured against.

THE CONSUMMATE COMBO

What's a combo guard? A player that can be effective as both a dribbler and a shooter and can play point guard or shooting guard. He's neither a natural point nor tall enough to be a classic 2-guard. (Ideally a 2-guard is 6-foot-6 or taller.)

The new rules interpretations that penalize a defender for impeding an offensive player's movement have enabled more combo guards to find a place in the league. "Little" guys that can break down a defender with the dribble and create five-on-four actions and shoot with range coming off of screens or on kickouts have a place in the league now.

Some insiders consider former Sixth Man of the Year Bobby Jackson the prototypical combo guard of his generation. Especially with the Kings, he had the size and incredible speed of a point guard, but with a scorer's mentality.

Dwyane Wade was drafted as a combo, and even played some point guard his rookie season, though he's basically a full-time 2-guard now.

But even in such company, Arenas' talents are wholly unique. He's an unguardable player off the dribble and an excellent shooter with unlimited range and confidence, yet still enough of a passer to play the point effectively.

Here's a quick look at some of the specific qualities that make Arenas such a singular talent:

OFF THE DRIBBLE

Arenas has all of the necessary dribble moves to be effective -- crossovers, hesitations, behind the ankles, spins and change of speeds. But it's how he uses those moves in combination with his quickness that makes him impossible to stay in front of.

I liken him to boxing legend Joe Frazier -- always coming, always pushing, always in an opponent's face. Arenas puts the defender on his heels. (Try sliding your feet from that position. You can't because you have no balance -- a defender need to be on the balls of his feet to move adeptly.)

Arenas knows how to slow down just enough to keep his defender further off-balance and off-timing, then he habitually makes one of the most fundamental movements any attacking offensive player can make -- he "sits down" before he attacks.

That means he bends his knees a little more and crouches down with his upper body. He gets small, he gets low. Picture a running back exploding through a small hole in the line. Think of a sprinter, starting from a crouch. The lower center of gravity keeps Arenas balanced and also allows him to explode past his defender just a little faster.

So here's the formula that gets Arenas to the basket:

PM + NQ + CS = Blowing past the defender

That's "perfect mechanics" (staying low, with flawless ball handling) plus "natural quickness" plus "changing speeds."

If any of these elements were adjusted, Arenas would be easier to defend.

Kobe Bryant and Wade have the same formula working for them, but they actually add the additional factor of elevation on the finish. This is the one area Arenas does not often show -- the ability to elevate over his defender or the help defense for the flush or finish.

Instead, he depends on an uncanny feel for when and how to release the ball. He has long arms and strong hands, so instead of jumping over people he extends around them or under their hands for the bucket. He is an excellent finisher, maybe just slightly behind Kobe and Wade, the league's finest.

Ultimately, many defenders find themselves unable to get in front of him. Sometimes they just reach out and grab him. This is another part of his arsenal -- his ability to get and make free throws.

Arenas has attempted 317 free throws in 34 games this season (making 83.3 percent). That's 9.3 per game.

Contrast that total with some other shooter/scorer types:

Mike Miller: 2.9 points per game
Ray Allen: 5.9 points per game
Mike Bibby: 5.6 points per game

Now compare him to Wade and Kobe, two of the top scorers/drivers in the game:

Wade:10.9 points per game
Kobe: 9.2 points per game

Clearly, his quickness, talent and strength put him in an elite class off the dribble.

ON THE JUMPER

While a number of players can penetrate and score, Arenas' ability to both drive and shoot the J makes him unique and nearly impossible to guard. He is an excellent shooter with very good form, a quick release and great range.

We've all seen him shoot and make some very deep 3-pointers, and the stats show his range and accuracy as well. He shoots a lot of 3s. Bryant, known for his quick trigger, shoots 4.8 3-pointers a game, while Wade tries fewer than two per game. Arenas attempts 7.9 3s per game ... and shoots the 3 much better than either Bryant or Wade. Arenas is at 39.6 percent from 3-point range on the season, while Kobe shoots at 34.8 percent and Wade at 27.7 percent. Of the top 10 highest-scoring guards in the NBA, Arenas has the best 3-point percentage.

He's not just a bomber, either. He has an excellent midrange jumper off the dribble, allowing him to toy with defenders. As he penetrates, head up and moving forward, his quick starts and stops give the defender no clue as to what his next move may be. Back off too much and he pulls up for the jumper with that quick release. Stay too close and he sits down and blows by you.

All of this means that defenders must always close out on Arenas just a little faster than they would a typical driver. Arenas uses their close-out speed to his advantage -- he sets up for a 3 before driving right by them for a shorter jumper or a layup.

Add it all up and you have one of the top shooters in the NBA, and one of the top slasher/drivers.

Arenas is, indeed, in a class by himself.

David Thorpe is an NBA analyst for ESPN.com and the executive director of the Pro Training Center in Clearwater, Fla., where he works as a personal coach for Udonis Haslem (Miami Heat), Orien Greene (Indiana Pacers), Alexander Johnson (Memphis Grizzlies) and Kevin Martin (Sacramento Kings). You can e-mail him here.

I really like how they compare Dwade and Kobe's elevation to Arenas' release on the ball. I'm not gonna say his release is underrated but when he hit that game winner against Milwaukee and walked away? He just knows when the ball is going down. It's awesome. This guy is definetly my non-rocket fav. Tmac was my favorite non-rocket during his orlando days and damn, if luck turns our away and we get him some day that'd be too damn sweet.

Enjoy the breakdown of Arenas guys.