Shaquille O'Neal puts Steph Curry out of spotlight picking Damian Lillard as his clutch time partner
Shaquille O’Neal has been a big-time admirer of superstar point guards Steph Curry and Damian Lillard. The LA Lakers legend has often heaped praise on the two for their ability to hit crucial shots for most of their respective careers. O’Neal even went as far as to say that the Golden State Warriors franchise cornerstone might be included in GOAT discussions.
Over the years, Shaq has mentioned on several occasions that Curry is his favorite player. The Hall of Famer almost always has the Warriors as his team to beat for nearly a decade now. He couldn’t be more appreciative of what “Chef Curry” has accomplished in his career.
On “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” O’Neal was asked to pick on who between the two would he choose to partner with. Shaq would have to get somebody who would space the floor for him and drain clutch shots from deep. Here’s how he chose his hypothetical co-star:
“I hate to answer this question. … Steph is the best shooter but 'Dame Time' is clutch at that shot. Damn! I’mma have to go with Dame Lillard.
“Steph Curry is the best shooter and I think he hits more of those shots moving. I’ve seen Dame hit a lot of standstill shots or get in just one position. 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 with dribbling.”
Shaquille O’Neal has been an analyst for “Inside the NBA” since 2011. He has been covering the game for a long time and will certainly have formed a strong opinion about who he wants to play with. He is convinced that Damian Lillard would be a better fit around him than Curry.
The NBA defines clutch time as “the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime where the score is within five points.” Last season, the Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox won the Clutch Player of the Year award. Curry and Lillard didn’t even make it to the top three.
Shaquille O’Neal, though, is basing his judgment on Damian Lillard and Steph Curry’s career work of hitting big-time baskets. He could do no wrong with either but he’d rather have the Milwaukee Bucks star by his side in clutch situations.
Steph Curry and Damian Lillard are two of the most clutch players this season
This season, Steph Curry and Damian Lillard have provided their respective teams with efficient shooting in close battles late in the game. It’s no surprise that two of the deadliest shooters in NBA history continue to be effective even with defenses focused on them.
Curry and Lillard average 4.3 points in the clutch, which put them fourth and fifth in the league in that category. The Golden State Warriors superstar has just played more games which gives him the leg up over the Milwaukee Bucks point guard.
The biggest difference is in the efficiency between the two players. Steph Curry is making 51.6% of his shots, including 50.0% from deep. Damian Lillard, meanwhile, is hitting 46.0%, including 34.6% from deep.
It would be interesting to see if Shaquille O’Neal rethinks his pick when considering just this year as the basis of his selection.