After completing one of the most illustrious careers in NBA history, three-time NBA Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal has never been afraid to voice his opinions on the league.
Speaking with RG, O’Neal gave his thoughts on the current iteration of the Lakers. The Hall of Fame center approved the team’s signing of DeAndre Ayton as a big man but said he ‘still worried‘ about their outside shooting.
“They have a legitimate big now, got two premier players,” O’Neal said about the Lakers. “I’m still worried about the shooting. It’s a three-point league now. Not guys that can shoot, (I’m talking about) bonafide shooters. Guys that are guaranteed, like JJ Reddick. He was a bona fide shooter. They got the point guard, got the off-guard, got a legitimate center. Their chances are much better now.”
O’Neal commented on the Lakers before the team announced the signing of Marcus Smart, who agreed to a contract buyout with the Washington Wizards.
O’Neal pointed out the team’s outside shooting issues, and with Smart’s career three-point percentage at just 32.4%, the Lakers still have yet to sign a player who can provide an immediate threat from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles finished last season 15th in threes made and 14th in team three-point percentage.
Shaq’s Thoughts On The Lakers
O’Neal also gave his thoughts on the Lakers’ current lineup, and how they will fare next season in a conference featuring teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves. The four-time champion said he believes the Lakers will head into the playoffs with home-court advantage.
“You get eight spots to make the playoffs, and I expect them to have some type of home-court advantage,” O’Neal added. “You got two premier players, you got a big guy that can do certain things. Those three right there should be able to get you to one through four, and if they don’t have home-court advantage going into the playoffs, I’ll be very disappointed.”
The Lakers finished with a 50-32 record last season to clinch the third seed in the playoffs. While they were 15-8 when both LeBron James and Luka Doncic played together in the regular season, Los Angeles fizzled out in the first round against a Timberwolves team that made their second-straight Western Conference Finals appearance.
The lack of center depth to guard against players like Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle was a major part of their 4-1 loss to Minnesota. Additionally, to O’Neal’s point, the Lakers shot just 35% from three-point in the series, which ranked ninth of the 16 playoff teams.
Superman Gave Another Bold Take
In a separate interview on the Off The Record podcast, O’Neal offered another bold claim relating to his time in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the Lakers. He said that if he played alongside Tracy McGrady instead of Kobe Bryant, they still would have found championship success.
“You got to understand, when T-Mac out there by himself, he don’t really have room to operate. Our guy (Kobe) had room to operate because I got three people on me,” O’Neal said. “Could have gotten three in a row with T-Mac. I think I could’ve gotten two with Vince (Carter). I know I would’ve gotten six with Steph (Curry).”
O’Neal’s comments came after McGrady commented on ESPN’s First Take that if he had a player like the Big Diesel alongside him, the duo would have won at least one NBA title.
“Replace me with Kobe when he had Shaq, you don’t think I could win a championship?” McGrady said in response to a question about the issue of ‘ring culture‘ brought up by James. “I felt like if I was just put in the position to win a championship, I sure would show up and do what I do in the playoffs to elevate my team to that level. Just never had the chance.”
The ‘Shaq and Kobe Lakers‘ were still dominant to say the least. Their three consecutive titles from 2000 to 2002 remain the last NBA three-peat, one of five in the league’s 79-year history.
O’Neal has never shied away from speaking his mind, whether it is about those whom he played with and against in the league, current players, or his thoughts on all-time greats.
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