Shareef O’Neal, at one point, looked set to have a straightforward path to the NBA. He was one of the top-ranked high school prospects in his class, and top colleges around the country were very interested in having him onboard. Shareef would end up at UCLA in 2018, but things went south from then on out.
He was diagnosed with a heart condition and needed to have surgery for the same, which meant he missed his first season of college basketball, and he hasn’t quite been the same after that. Shareef wouldn’t get picked in the 2022 NBA Draft, and while the Lakers snapped him up for the Summer League, he failed to impress and even drew some criticism.
Lakers legend Byron Scott, who also played with Shareef’s father, Shaquille O’Neal, was asked by TMZ about his views on the younger O’Neal after his performances in the Summer League.
“I think he looked a little bit out of place. He wasn’t ready. I think he still has a little ways to go. I think the talent is there. Obviously, the athleticism is there. It’s just some other things he has to kind of tweak.”
When asked if he felt Shareef could still bounce back from that heart surgery, Scott stated, “I think it is possible and when you’re talking about surgery to the heart, that’s a big deal. That’s not something you’re gonna come back within a year and be your old self again and he probably has questions about his physical being, especially his heart. I think that’s unfair if people are criticizing that, that’s really unfair… and he’s still young so give him a chance.”
Scott is right with his assessment as Shareef isn’t ready quite yet. He needs to develop a bit more, and that is the path he has chosen as well, having signed up to join the G League Ignite. We hope that he’ll keep his head down and work hard on his game so that he can get to the NBA.
His fellow Summer League debutant with the Lakers, Scotty Pippen Jr., meanwhile, impressed everyone, including Scott, and he looks set to crack their rotation at some point.
