"He may have to switch up his mentality" - Shaquille O’Neal says Damian Lillard needs to change thinking to win championship
Shaquille O’Neal believes Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard needs to leave the franchise in order to win a championship. The retired former LA Lakers center recently spoke about Lillard during an interview on The Rich Eisen Show.
According to the Diesel, Damian Lillard thinks too much like an old-school player, which could hinder his chances at earning a championship ring.
“He is an old school mentality guy that’s playing in the new school. The old-school guy would say, ‘I’m not teaming up with you, I’m gonna beat you’. Right? But these new school guys are saying, Hey, let’s team up to make it easier.’ So that’s the toughest decision for him," said O'Neal.
“I know he wants to stay in Portland and win it out, but he may have to switch up his mentality. When I’m saying this s***, I’m just saying he may have to because everybody else is doing it. If everybody else is doing it then that’s just gonna keep him further from winning a championship,” he added.
Despite not reaching the NBA Finals during his nine-year professional career, Damian Lillard has maintained his stance that he wants to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers to try and win a title in the city and for the city.
Shaquille O’Neal thinks Damian Lillard may have to be on Super Team to win
One major suggestion from Shaquille O’Neal is for Damian Lillard to consider joining up with other stars to form a Super Team. Though O’Neal didn’t mention “Super Team” or “Big 3” in his interview, it looks like that’s what he would like Lillard to think about in the future.
“I don’t know. Should he go to a contender? If he wants to. If he wants to brighten his chances of winning a championship, I say he should do that. I don’t really like guys teaming up, but it’s just the way it is these days and you just have to accept it. If he can get to a team that already has two or three guys, and you add him? That raises his chances of winning a championship,” said the LA Lakers legend.
Throughout this offseason, Damian Lillard’s name has been part of several NBA trade rumors after losing in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row. In particular, he’s been rumored to be a target by the Philadelphia 76ers, who are looking to unload disgruntled star Ben Simmons. Dame could form a Super Team in Philly with 2021 MVP finalist Joel Embiid and versatile forward Tobias Harris.
However, Damian Lillard recently posted on his Instagram account about Portland being his city, which meant that for now, he’s content to ride out his chances with the Blazers.
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