The anticipated progression of Paolo Banchero and Tyrese Haliburton has piqued everyone’s interest within the NBA. Interestingly, Shaquille O’Neal has recently shared his two cents on their emergence, in the latest episode of ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq’. While openly disregarding Banchero’s stardom, Diesel claimed Haliburton could take a ‘Star Trek leap’ in the coming weeks.
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The conversation majorly circled these two youngsters with a handful of rising stars being thrown into the mix from time to time. Since the start, Shaq downplayed the rapidity of Banchero’s growth in comparison to his contemporaries. However, he believed that the Orlando Magic youngster could rise from being a “really good player” to a “star”.
Following that, O’Neal candidly backed Haliburton to make a giant leap in the twilight phase of the campaign. He even outlined the potential advantages of the Indiana Pacers guard in contrast to more popular youngsters. “Tyrese, because nobody is really looking at him, he can hit the Star Trek button,” the 52-year-old mentioned.
During the conversation, Shaq put into focus a handful of other young players to elaborate on his viewpoint. The 4x champion applauded the emergence of Anthony Edwards while dealing with constant pressure from the outside. He also highlighted how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s ability to control the tempo made him a leading name in the NBA. In the end, Diesel also put Victor Wembanyama in the conversation to further stretch the competition for Haliburton.
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This puts into perspective the growing competition among the new-age stars within the league. Further, Shaq also went on to pick Victor Wembanyama as his last name. This is interesting as the big guy has continuously backed Bol Bol against Wemby this season. However, Wemby is a generational talent and even Shaq could not deny that.
With the NBA looking for a fresh face to represent itself during the upcoming decade, the ambitious crop of players seems ready to take the next step. This adds further volume to the evolution of the league as the differences in quality mitigate over time.
Shaquille O’Neal had also previously backed Tyrese Haliburton
Shaq had always been vocal in support of the Pacers youngster. One such instance occurred during his interview with The Athletic’s James Boyd last month. The 2000 MVP expressed how Haliburton could take the baton forward after the retirement of current superstars.
“He’s not up there yet, but he’s coming. I wouldn’t put him up there with Steph [Curry] and [Kevin Durant], but he’s on the right path. [In] four or five years, when those guys are gone, the league should belong to him,” he mentioned.
This certainly puts a chip on the shoulders of Haliburton as the followers are bound to keep an eye on him. Leading the league in assists, this season, Hali is one of the premiere guards of the NBA currently. However, the road ahead remains filled with obstacles as the Pacers linger at the 7th spot on the table. With the post-season approaching fast, a turnaround could in fortune would certainly justify the backing from the big man.
