Shaquille O’Neal has never shied away from stirring the pot. He was at it again on the latest episode of the Big Podcast with Shaq, with his opinion about Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard. O’Neal said he’s often posed with a hypothetical scenario where if he had the ball in his hand and had to throw it to one of the two guards to attempt a game-winner, who would he pass it to?
The Hall of Famer claimed he hates answering that question because he admires both. However, he did answer the question, saying,
“Steph is the best shooter. But Dame Time is clutch at that shot. Damn, I’ll have to go with Dame Lillard. Steph hits a lot of those shots moving. I’ve seen Dame hit a lot of standstill shots or get in one position. And I think playing with me, he’d be able to catch it, step into the shot, and hit it. With Steph Curry, I think he gets better rhythm when he’s dribbling.”
Stats back O’Neal’s claim. In the final five minutes of games where their teams are tied or trailing by three or fewer, Lillard is 6-of-16 from beyond the arc, while Curry is a horrendous 3-of-13. Over the previous three seasons, the stats are even more damning. With regular season and playoffs included, Lillard is 18-of-45, while Curry is 12-of-47.
Since the 2020-21 season, Lillard is shooting 39.3%, while Curry is shooting 25% from beyond the arc in the game’s final five minutes when their team is behind or tied and the score difference is three or fewer. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar is statistically a more reliable shooter in the clutch than the two-time NBA MVP.
Fans on social media roasted Curry after O’Neal’s admission that he would prefer Lillard taking the final shot over Curry. One claimed the Golden State Warriors superstar’s reputation of folding in the clutch will never escape him.
Another claimed O’Neal would get attacked by Warriors fans for speaking the truth.
One fan claimed that the game’s great agreed with the popular narrative that Curry isn’t reliable when the game is tight late in the fourth quarter.
Curry has been phenomenal in the clutch this year. He leads the league in clutch points (five or fewer point difference with five or fewer minutes left) with 113. He’s also converting 50% of his three-point attempts in clutch situations. However, the tighter the game gets, the deeper his numbers fall. It’s the one thing that can be accurately held against the Warriors superstar.
Shaquille O’Neal compares Damian Lillard’s and Stephen Curry’s shooting
Stephen Curry is widely considered the greatest shooter in NBA history. However, Shaquille O’Neal believes the gap between the Warriors icon and Damian Lillard’s shooting prowess is pretty minuscule. After Lillard’s historic 71-point performance, the Hall of Famer said,
“[Lillard] always says Steph Curry is the best shooter he’s seen. But think he’s being humble about that. It’s very, very close… Steph Curry has hit more impossible shots than any player. Like Steph sometimes just throws it up, and it goes in. But Steph does that a lot. But that’s what makes him the best shooter. But Dame shoots from deep a lot. If Steph is 1, Dame gotta be a 1D. He’s not 2. He’s not 3.”
O’Neal is spot on again. Since the 2014 season, the Warriors icon leads the league in three-point attempts with 8,366, while the Bucks superstar is third with 6,800. Of all players with at least 5,000 three-point attempts in that span, Curry leads the way with a 41.8% conversion rate, while Lillard is third with 37.1.
Like Curry, the former Portland Trail Blazers superstar has limitless range on the basketball court. As O’Neal explained, he’s one of the most dangerous shooters in NBA history and should be revered as such.
