Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest centers the game has ever seen. In his prime, Shaq was arguably one of the most impressive players in basketball history. The first man to almost be crowned unanimous MVP was a thorn in the side of every center in the NBA during his prime, just like Nikola Jokic is now.
Jokic and Shaq have distinctly different games, with Shaq bringing brute force and domination to the court whereas Jokic dominated with skill. After watching Jokic dominate the Memphis Grizzlies, Shaq was asked how he would guard Jokic on Inside the NBA.
“Only way he would be able to score on me is in a pick-and-roll situation because I’d probably have to help with Jamal Murray, which frees him up a little bit. If he’s going down in the post I don’t want no help. If he shoots a jump hook over me, good shot. Now on the other end, the torture end. Where’s from? Slavic Lasagna alert.”
Shaq wasn’t the best defender but his dominance in the post ensured he was a great shot blocker and able to stifle other centers because of his strength. While Jokic wouldn’t enjoy posting up Shaq, his game from the perimeter to the mid-range is dangerous, as he can effortlessly score from these areas while also ensuring his teammates are getting the most open shots possible.
Is Nikola Jokic The Best Center Of The Modern Era?
When Jokic won his first MVP in 2020-21, he became the first center since Shaq to win the award. He then doubled up and won it again last season, beating out Joel Embiid both years. While playoff success is still to be desired from Jokic, he’s proving that we haven’t seen a center like him since Shaq.
The only modern centers that are even remotely in that conversation are Jokic, Embiid, Anthony Davis, and Dwight Howard. Jokic is definitely tracking to have a better career than Embiid while AD and Dwight have had injuries slow them down severely.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
