The game of basketball has changed so much in the last couple of decades and so have the big men in it. Shaquille O’Neal recently shared a picture on Instagram of himself, Karl Malone, Chet Holmgren, and Victor Wembanyama to show just how different the bigs look now, compared to the 1990s.
O’Neal has taken quite a few shots at today’s big men and this seems to be another one. He always speaks about wanting the bigs to not go out to the perimeter and instead bang down low in the paint and dominate physically. That was the case when he entered the league, but the game has gone away from that to a great extent.
The likes of Wembanyama and Holmgren are almost the exact type of big men that teams want now. They are mobile enough to defend on the perimeter and can create their own shot off the dribble as well.
At the same time, they’ve both proven to be elite shot blockers in their rookie season itself, with Wembanyama averaging 3.0 blocks per game while Holmgren is at 2.8. The only issue with both is that they might just be a bit too skinny and many have called for them to bulk up just a little bit. Neither of the two seems all that interested in that, though.
Shaquille O’Neal Thinks Victor Wembanyama Would Have Been Destroyed In The 1990s
The reason why these two might get away with not bulking up is that the NBA is not as physical as it once was. Had Wembanyama played in the 1990s, O’Neal thinks he’d have gotten destroyed.
“I think people better watch out, but if this was our era, bang him, he’d be chicken noodle soup, which I kind of like.”
If either of these two had to guard the likes of O’Neal, Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Patrick Ewing on a nightly basis, it wouldn’t have ended well. Their bodies would have eventually broken down due to their lanky frames, but fortunately for them, they don’t have to worry about facing those big men on a nightly basis.
Victor Wembanyama And Chet Holmgren Are Having Excellent Rookie Seasons
I briefly touched on how many blocks Wembanyama and Holmgren are averaging this season, but that’s far from the only impressive thing about their rookie campaigns. The two of them have been excellent in 2023-24 and have more than lived up to expectations.
Wembanyama for one is averaging 19.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game. The San Antonio Spurs have struggled to win games this season, but that’s certainly not because of the Frenchman.
As for Holmgren, he is putting up 16.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game. He has played his part in the Oklahoma City Thunder being the second seed in the West with a 17-8 record and is the favorite to win Rookie of the Year at the moment.
We haven’t seen such impressive rookie campaigns in a while, as both of them are having a big impact on both ends of the court. It is very unlikely, but they might have an outside chance at doing something that only a handful of players like O’Neal have done, which is to be an All-Star as a rookie.
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