The traditional big man that was once a staple in the NBA is now a remnant of yesteryear. Teams expect centers to space the floor and hit jump shots from beyond the arc rather than live in the paint on either end of the floor. The change in the game’s meta meant a player of the Shaquille O’Neal archetype was essentially extinct. For a brief moment, the Lakers icon felt Joel Embiid could spark a revolution and bring back the era of the traditional center. However, the 76ers superstar failed to live up to his expectations.
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On The Big Podcast, O’Neal complained about the state of centers in the league and noted how players with the potential to be as dominant as he was are squandering it. He said,
“There’s no more dominant big men; it’s like stretch fives. I thought Joel Embiid was going to be that guy but I don’t think he likes the physicality for the whole season. [Nikola Jokic] is a guy that can go in and out. [Victor Wembanyama] is a guy that can go in and out. Besides that, everybody is just down the same thing.”
During his MVP award-winning campaign in 2022-23, Embiid had earned his place in O’Neal’s good graces. The 76ers superstar’s imposing presence on both ends of the floor and his ability to score at will were reminiscent of the Lakers icon’s prime years.
However, Shaq feels Embiid has pivoted away from being as aggressive as he was in that campaign, causing the four-time NBA to lose interest in him. According to O’Neal, the lack of dominant centers isn’t an issue that only he’s passionate about.
He believes it has majorly contributed to the decline in the NBA’s viewership. However, in his estimation, the advent of the three-point era is the biggest culprit from the diminishing interest in the league.
Three-point shooting has hurt the NBA
After the Warriors revolutionized the sport with their heavy emphasis on three-point shooting, every team has treated their blueprint like its gospel. The Celtics took it a step further and constructed a team where all five players could bank shots from beyond the arc.
While this has made games more high-scoring, O’Neal believes it’s monotonous and causing fans to lose interest in the league. On the Big Podcast, he said,
“[The NBA’s viewership] is down because we’re looking at the same thing. Everybody is running the same plays… Steph Curry and those guys messed it up. I think it makes the game boring.”
Shaq’s point about the lack of variation in the NBA has merit. Every team in the league deploys the same tactics, with the only difference being the execution.
Teams no longer have unique identities like Greg Popovich’s Spurs teams, the Pistons’ defensively dominant rosters, or even the Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph-led ‘Grit and Grind’ Grizzlies. The NBA’s monotony is an issue with no end in sight and O’Neal, like many, no longer enjoy the sport as much as they used to.
