Shaquille O’Neal was a powerful force during the ’90s and early 2000s, with the league fundamentally changing from a big-man’s paradise into a league that prioritizes skill and shooting. Watching the versatility of modern bigs, O’Neal expressed to Draymond Green that he feels jealous of the freedom they have on the court.
“I’m jealous of them. I wish I could step out and shoot the three, brother. Do you know why I call myself the Black Steph Curry? It’s because if I go to the gym and miss 195 threes but make one, I’m the Black Steph Curry. That sh*t f***ing feel good to step out and shoot that three. But when I’m jealous, I’m not envious, I’m jealous to motivate myself. I’m jealous of them because I wish I was allowed to do that. Back then, every now and then, I’d take it and go coast-to-coast, and the coach would look at me crazy. They’re allowed to do it.”
Shaq named Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama as the three bigs he considers real big men in the NBA while explaining why his reputation of being a hater of big men is untrue.
“Embiid is a mixture of me in the post and Hakeem Olajuwon outside the post. Jokic, I was thinking Brad Daughtery or a little (Arvydas) Sabonis, his game is nice and I like people who play at that pace. Wembanyama is different. He’s thin but he does some stuff. As the President of the Big Man Alliance, I really like those three guys. Any other big guys, I’m not feeling. When they say, ‘I hate all big men,’ I don’t hat all big men, I just hate the ones who don’t play like big men.”
“I really like those three guys. Any other big guys I’m not really feeling”
—@SHAQ tells @Money23Green why he’s jealous of the modern day big men pic.twitter.com/lIPoUVeAiN
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) June 2, 2024
O’Neal named three tremendous examples to show what versatility in the NBA can bring you.
Joel Embiid is a former MVP who averaged 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists last season. The only reason he wasn’t in the MVP race was the meniscus injury that caused him to miss three months of the season.
Nikola Jokic is the current league MVP (his third win) and the 2023 Finals MVP who averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists this season. While his second-round exit was disappointing, Jokic is widely considered to be the best player in the NBA still.
Victor Wembanyama had a historic rookie season, averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks. He won unanimous Rookie of the Year, finishing second in the DPOY race, and is the first rookie in NBA history to make the All-Defensive First Team.
Would Shaq Be Successful In The Modern Era?
Shaquille O’Neal was so dominant that he changed NBA rules in his prime. In a primarily post-oriented game at the time, O’Neal was so dominant in that space that he never had to develop his game to anything beyond that. But in the modern era, O’Neal might be forced to space out more often than not.
O’Neal would be an MVP-caliber player in any era of basketball purely because he’s a truly generational talent with his physique and athleticism. People often say that he’d be a better shooter in the modern era because the game would force him to develop an outside shot, but I don’t think that’s true.
Shaq averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks in his career while shooting 52.7% from the free-throw line. If O’Neal was motivated enough to constantly develop his skills, there is no way he wouldn’t have worked on his free throw shooting to maximize his impact on the court.
Given the skill set a young Shaq had, he might have developed in the same vein as Giannis Antetokounmpo did. He’d remain a poor shooter for the bulk of his career but might have had a better dribble or more passing vision. Nonetheless, O’Neal was perfect for his era and his accomplishments might not be equaled anytime soon by a big man.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
