Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominant players to ever play the game. He was well-known for his insane athleticism and finishing near the rim. Over the course of his career, Shaquille O’Neal averaged 23.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 2.5 APG.
The modern NBA era is viewed as less physical than the time Shaquille O’Neal was playing. Thus, many have speculated about just how good Shaquille O’Neal would have been in the modern era. Coach Tyronn Lue has previously stated that Shaquille O’Neal would average 60 PPG in this era, and there’s no doubt that the spacing would have helped him thrive.
“He would average 60,” Lue said. “All the small ball and all that, you wouldn’t be able to do that, not even a chance. And now they’re putting in all these shooting fives and putting fours at the five and threes at the five position; he’d average 60 points, and everybody on the team would foul out. The way they play today, with Shaq, you’d never get away with that.”
However, Jason Williams is someone who disagrees. He has recently claimed that O’Neal wouldn’t be as dominant today as he was in his era, claiming that the big man would constantly have “four, five guys around him that didn’t have the ball”. (6:10)
“Shaq wouldn’t be as dominant as he was back then today. Just because there would be four, five guys around him that didn’t even have the ball. It’d be tough.”
There is no doubt that this era is different from Shaquille O’Neal’s era. It is a lot faster-paced, and there’s a lot more long-distance shooting. Shaquille O’Neal also wouldn’t be able to be as physical today as he was during his time playing in the NBA.
Even though there are differences between eras, it is likely that Shaquille O’Neal would find a way to succeed. He would definitely be amazing in the interior, and his efficient scoring near the rim would still let him be a star.
