"Shaq wouldn't be as dominant as he was back then" - Jason Williams on how Shaquille O'Neal would fare in today's NBA
Shaquille O'Neal is one of, if not the most, dominant centers in NBA history. O'Neal won it all as a player: four NBA championships, three NBA Finals MVP and one MVP. But will Shaq be successful in the league today wherein traditional centers are almost non-existent?
In an interview with BroBible, Shaq's former teammate with the Miami Heat, Jason Williams, explained why O'Neal won't be as dominant in the present day NBA. Williams explained that defenses are going to make it hard for Shaq, swarming the big man in the paint.
"Shaq wouldn't be as dominant as he was back then today. Just because there would be four, five guys around him that didn't even have the ball. It'd be tough," Williams said.
Shaquille O'Neal and Jason Williams played together in Miami for three seasons from 2006 to 2008. They won an NBA championship together in 2006, with a young Dwyane Wade winning the Finals MVP. But will he really have a hard time in today's NBA?
With Shaq being a great player, he will likely adjust his game and be successful. His size and skill as a big man make him hard to guard in quite possibly any era of basketball.
With the league playing smaller than ever, Shaq will dominate the paint. Even if they double or triple team O'Neal, he'll likely be surrounded by shooters. Shaq is an able passer and could make plays when teams swarm him in the paint.
Former teammate has different take on Shaquille O'Neal playing in today's NBA
If Jason Williams does not think Shaquille O'Neal will dominate in today's NBA, another former teammate of Shaq has a different take on the subject. Tyronn Lue, who played for the LA Lakers from 1999 to 2001, believes O'Neal will be unstoppable.
"He would average 60. All the small ball and all that, you wouldn't be able to do that, not even a chance. And now they're putting in all these shooting fives and putting fours at the five and threes at the five position. He'd average 60 points, and everybody on the team would foul out," Lue told The Athletic.
Continuing the countdown of the Top 75 players in NBA history, as voted on at @TheAthletic, w/Number 8:
Shaq.
Our @mr_jasonjones on the Diesel, Shaquille O’Neal: a force unto himself, who won rings & dominated the paint for a generation: theathletic.com/3117428/2022/0…
Shaquille O'Neal was a force of nature that dominated the league when players like Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Tim Duncan were in their primes. Shaq did lose his speed during the latter years of his career, but he was a monster in the paint as a member of the Orlando Magic and LA Lakers.
For his career, Shaq averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game. He has four NBA titles, eighth in all-time points, 15th in all-time rebounds and sixth in all-time blocks. One of the greatest big men to ever play the game.