No player has dominated the NBA in the fashion that Shaquille O’Neal did. Shaq, in fact, remains confident of replicating similar levels of success in any era. Many might call it blissful confidence. O’Neal, however, doesn’t believe the blueprint to domination is difficult. It would just revolve around taking a page out of what made the Los Angeles Lakers unbeatable during the early 2000s.
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In conversations regarding today’s NBA, doubt has crept when it comes to O’Neal’s ability to thrive. After all, the game has changed drastically in comparison to the past. Teams emphasize a high volume of three-pointers and prioritize space on the court. Traditional big men have grown obsolete.
The difference with Shaq is that nobody could match the 7-foot-1 big man in strength. During his prime, opposing teams had to sacrifice some of their depth just to sign more big men. The reason for doing so was to prepare for their center falling into foul trouble while trying to contain O’Neal.
O’Neal understands the weakness he had as a player but asserts that opposing players needed to minimize theirs because he would make them pay.
“I know I would dominate because I’ve always been unique,” O’Neal said on Off The Record. “If you’re going to shoot a three, you better hit it ’cause I’m going to run right by you and post up in the middle of the lane.”
O’Neal, of course, was unstoppable once he was in the post, but what happens once the defense collapses?
“I’m going to have management get me a guard that gets it and pushes it. It’s going to be me and four shooters,” O’Neal proclaimed.
Imagining O’Neal with an infrastructure similar to the 2023-2024 Boston Celtics is a nightmare combination. Either the defense gives up a free two-point basket to Shaq, or they double and give an open three-point opportunity. Although the Lakers weren’t a prolific three-point shooting team during his tenure, they followed a similar style of play.
“Oh, you want to double me? I’m kicking it out for three. That’s how we won all those championships with the Lakers. Let me [work]. Let Kobe [work]. Here you go [Rick Fox]. Here you go [Brian Shaw],” O’Neal said.
Kobe Bryant and O’Neal would take turns tantalizing defenses, but they had capable role players ready to hit timely shots when needed. That is exactly how Robert Horry knocked down the game winner to defeat the Sacramento Kings in Game 4 of the 20022 Western Conference Finals.
It would be interesting to see O’Neal play in today’s NBA because teams won’t let him rest on defense. That has always been the main critique against Shaq success in today’s game. He doesn’t believe it’ll matter much in the grand scheme of things.
“If [Nikola Jokic] wants to pop out and get me out of the paint and put me in the pick-and-roll, that’s fine. But what are you going to do on the other end?” O’Neal asked.
It is certainly a justifiable question. Of course, this is purely hypothetical, but O’Neal gives quite a compelling case that he would be able to carry over his dominance.
