Shaquille O’Neal is often considered the most dominant NBA superstar of all time, as O’Neal was completely unstoppable in his prime. No team knew how to slow down Shaq when he was in his physical prime, with his size allowing him to have a 19-year NBA career on reputation alone. He doesn’t think the modern NBA would be a problem for him, even though the top players are required to be able to shoot.
“I think I would just be just as dominant. With how open the game is now and with all those three-pointers and shooters, the paint would be much more open for me to work on.”
The only comparison to O’Neal in the modern NBA has been Giannis Antetokounmpo, but both players have different styles of play. Giannis is far more drive-heavy than O’Neal was, as Shaq could have the ball passed to him in the paint and could dunk it no matter the coverage with just two dribbles. That sort of physical dominance cannot be schemed for, and we don’t have a bruising center superstar in the modern NBA.
With the pace of the modern NBA, O’Neal is likelier to be stopped only because of his size and conditioning requiring him to sit down. Maybe certain defensive lineups don’t work because a team is focusing on shooting from outside instead of testing the rim, but his offense would likely be just as unstoppable.
Shaquille O’Neal Once Said He’d Be Giannis Antetokounmpo If He Played In Today’s NBA
Shaquille O’Neal has been posed with the question of how he’d perform in the modern NBA repeatedly. He once claimed today’s players are lucky that he’s not playing anymore. But the most elaborate answer he’s given came when he compared himself to Giannis Antetokounmpo, a comparison we already touched upon and something Shaq has claimed repeatedly.
“I would actually love to play in this NBA. I would bring a little bit more physicality. I would bring my length, I would bring my athleticness. So, before you say, ‘Shaq can’t play in this era today,’ I’m already playing. My name is Giannis Antetokounmpo.”
Young Shaq did have the ability to take the ball from coast to coast as Giannis does, but his dribbling and ability to handle or pass the ball was nowhere nearly as developed as Giannis’. But in that way, Shaq is far stronger and would likely dominate the paint. Maybe the modern shooting guidance leads O’Neal to at least become a competent free throw shooter.
The only real similarity between Giannis and Shaq is that they’re both players who try to dominate with their bodies and not their shooting ability. It’d be fascinating to see Shaq against Giannis, and if Giannis could stop Shaq one-on-one. But that’s a comparison to arguably the best player of the last five years.
The likes of Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid would definitely struggle guarding Shaq’s pure physicality in the post. O’Neal is likelier to put them in foul trouble than being stopped by them. Teams would get clever in finding ways to deny O’Neal the ball or make him pick it up outside the paint to even have a chance.
We can always compare superstars from different eras, but the conversations will always remain hypothetical. Although Shaq is arguably the most fascinating player to take from one era and transplant onto another due to his uniqueness as a prospect and the fact that we haven’t seen anything like that again.
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