Clippers coach Ty Lue makes bold assertion about Shaquille O'Neal dominating modern NBA: "He would average 60"
Throughout his career, Shaquille O'Neal earned a reputation of being one of the most dominant players in NBA history. In addition to his four NBA championships, three Finals MVPs and 2000 NBA MVP award, O'Neal racked up a list of accomplishments that put him alongside elite company.
At nearly every stage of his NBA career, O'Neal was able to find success thanks to his massive frame, and early on in his career, his unique athleticism. While the stereotypical big man archetype of a bruising post player isn't as common in today's NBA, Ty Lue believes if O'Neal played now, he'd average 60.
Today, more NBA teams are taking more and more 3-pointers, and we've seen the rise of "small ball" lineups with centers who can shoot as well. Despite that, Ty Lue believes that O'Neal would have no problem being just as dominant despite not being able to shoot 3s or guard the perimeter.
In an interview with The Athletic that was published 2024, he made it clear that he has no doubts regarding whether or not Shaquille O'Neal could dominate today:
“He would average 60. All the small ball and all that, you wouldn’t be able to do that, not even a chance. The way they play today, with Shaq you’d never get away with that.”
"Shaq's dominance changed the game" - Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson speaks about Shaquille O'Neal's dominance
After spending the first four years of his career with the Orlando Magic, where he led the league in scoring during the 1994-95 season with 29.3 points per game, O'Neal joined the Lakers prior to the 1996-97 season.
At the time, the team was coached by Del Harris, however, just a couple of years later, Harris was fired during the 1998-99 season. After Bill Bertka stepped in as interim coach, the team hired Kurt Rambis. Just one year later, however, the team brought in Phil Jackson for the 1999-2000 season following his departure from Chicago.
With the unique triangle offense Jackson and Tex Winter found success in Chicago, Jackson coached the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant duo to three straight titles. As Jackson explained to The Athletic, Shaq's dominance in LA changed the NBA:
“It was difficult to [defend] against Shaq because you had to do it individually. You could double-team, but you had to do it in a certain way, and Shaq was a great passer of the post. He was the man who changed the game into what we have now in this era, which has eliminated a lot of post play, which is OK.
“You should be able to play basketball however you want to play it, but Shaq’s dominance changed the game.”
With the triangle offense, and Shaquille O'Neal's post vision, the combination proved difficult for opposing teams. While the league, and the style of play used by teams, has changed considerably since his career, the dominance he displayed can never be denied.