Can the 00s version of Shaq even play today?

[iamgine]

The other day I saw the Cavs started Tacko Fall against the Celtics. He promptly get attacked every single possession and the Celtics get open shot after open shot after open shot.

Between his horrible FT shooting and horrendous pick n roll defense, can 00 version of Shaq even be good today?

[Kawhi_Why_Not]

He should be fouled out after every 1st quarter. He gets away with elbowing and shoving every play but they don't foul him out because he's a superstar.

I guess shaq decided to play dirty after he couldn't even win a finals game in the 90s

[SATAN]

LeBron James.

[L.Kizzle]

Easy 2 points every time down the court. And if they double wide open 3, just like the olden days.

[Im Still Ballin]

Absolutely.

[BigShotBob]

Guess I missed it when Jokic became a defensive stopper and a pick and roll defensive maestro.

[Im Still Ballin]

Shaq played against small-ball and 5-out shooting lineups back in the day.

[Baller789]

Who's gonna stop him?

Bbq chicken easy!

[Thenameless]

Prime Shaq would be MVP in today's NBA because Lebron and Durant are in decline and there's no way Jokic, Giannis, or Embiid would be close to him in pure big man play. If Shaq was able to get things done against the more physical bigs of the 90s, he would dominate today's hybrid big men in the paint.

The 2015-2018 GSW changed the league paradigm to more emphasis on the 3 point shot. But that's because they have two all time greats in shooting with Curry and Klay. If a team had prime Shaq right now, they'd win the Championship, and teams would begin emphasizing true Big men again.

[PP34Deuce]

Shaq despite brute force had great touch and could finish in the paint number of ways. He had a short hook jump shot and was one of the better big men passing out of double teams. Had good handle for a big too. He's give up 3s but would also get you in foul trouble and paired with a Donovan Mitchell or Damian lillard..Lillard.. mean a lot of free throws

[Phoenix]

Shaq would have to retain his Orlando shape, and in this era maybe he does. Shaq in 2000 could be 300+ because the league didn't demand centers to defend like they do today. Offensively though, you couldn't do anything with him in any era.

[Shogon]

It is my strong opinion that he would be an even more effective player today than he was in 2000 because spacing has expanded so much and Shaq was always amazing at kicking out of double teams to the open man.

[warriorfan]

So who’s gonna try to play small ball vs Shaq?

Good luck with that :lol

Shaq is an extreme outlier that transcends eras.

[Kblaze8855]

It is my strong opinion that he would be an even more effective player today than he was in 2000 because spacing has expanded so much and Shaq was always amazing at kicking out of double teams to the open man.


https://youtu.be/vQLATSNx3_Y

[Bronbron23]

The other day I saw the Cavs started Tacko Fall against the Celtics. He promptly get attacked every single possession and the Celtics get open shot after open shot after open shot.

Between his horrible FT shooting and horrendous pick n roll defense, can 00 version of Shaq even be good today?

Yeah he'd change the game back to more bigs. It be the only way to be able to stop him. Think about it. what contender atm could even gaurd shaq? Everyone has gone smaller so if you drooped prime shaq in this league right now it be bbq chicken

[La Frescobaldi]

Paul Pierce or Artest or Ball Don’t Lie or Noah or Perkins or Rodman or Kevin Dogmeat Garnett sure enough dirty filthy

34 didn’t play dirty. He played manly ball in a manly league that did HackaShaq to him every game. Even the famous Vince Carter or Stuckey smashes was actually raw power of hands on the ball

[Reggie43]

Yeah it would be easier for Shaq to adjust to the era than the era to adjust to Shaq.

[999Guy]

Guess I missed it when Jokic became a defensive stopper and a pick and roll defensive maestro.

I mean you literally did.

https://deadspin.com/western-conference-beware-nikola-jokic-and-the-denver-1847996920


https://fadeawayworld.net/nba-media/draymond-green-reveals-his-criticism-helped-nikola-jokic-improve-on-defense

[Micku]

I think Shaq would change the league again. You shouldn't play small ball with'em like how they do now. Shaq would eat that alive. Either a automatic 2pts or a foul. He sometimes used to have the whole team after him, with traditional big 5 and 4s, and it didn't matter.

And with the spacing, I'm guessing his assists would go up or he'll just give a lot 3 pters open shots to his teammates. The spacing now is better than in his prime.

The defense is a problem with the pick and rolls/pop. And the threat or presence defensively will suffer compared to back in the 00s, because he used to camp the paint, but he'll adjust.

As someone Reggie43 said, it would be easier for Shaq to adjust to the era than the era to adjust to Shaq.

[Johnny32]

So who’s gonna try to play small ball vs Shaq?

Good luck with that :lol

Shaq is an extreme outlier that transcends eras.

pj tucker has guarded shaq so hou from a couple years ago.

[Baller789]

Yeah it would be easier for Shaq to adjust to the era than the era to adjust to Shaq.

Nah, the league would have to adjust to peak Shaq. He was that dominant.

The teams would have to sign big lumbering 7 footers again to guard Shaq.

[Reggie43]

Nah, the league would have to adjust to peak Shaq. He was that dominant.

The teams would have to sign big lumbering 7 footers again to guard Shaq.

Thats exactly what I was trying to say.

[BigShotBob]

I mean you literally did.

https://deadspin.com/western-conference-beware-nikola-jokic-and-the-denver-1847996920


https://fadeawayworld.net/nba-media/draymond-green-reveals-his-criticism-helped-nikola-jokic-improve-on-defense

During his MVP year he wasn't anymore or better of a defender than peak Shaq was and teams still weren't hunting switches onto him because not only would that stagnate their offense but he just did what Shaq would do....play drop coverage.

[dankok8]

I think Shaq would change the league again. You shouldn't play small ball with'em like how they do now. Shaq would eat that alive. Either a automatic 2pts or a foul. He sometimes used to have the whole team after him, with traditional big 5 and 4s, and it didn't matter.

And with the spacing, I'm guessing his assists would go up or he'll just give a lot 3 pters open shots to his teammates. The spacing now is better than in his prime.

The defense is a problem with the pick and rolls/pop. And the threat or presence defensively will suffer compared to back in the 00s, because he used to camp the paint, but he'll adjust.

As someone Reggie43 said, it would be easier for Shaq to adjust to the era than the era to adjust to Shaq.

This. Someone raised the same point as the OP a while ago last season and I imagined Shaq instead of Embiid on the Sixers. Basically just four shooters Seth, Green, Korkmaz and Tobias Harris. As a defense if you stay home on the shooters some poor sap is defending Shaq 1-on-1 down low and getting annihilated. You double the post and a sharpshooter gets an open 3-pointer and Shaq knew how to find shooters. Shaq offensively would just kill teams to such a degree that he would force rule changes and force teams to stock up on bigs to defend him which would slow the pace of the game etc.

As for Shaq's deficiencies on defense, they would be somewhat exacerbated by more outside shooting and his suckiness defending P&R but Shaq would be always stuck on a non-shooter which almost every team has. For instance they play the Warriors Shaq defends Looney or Draymond. If those guys are setting screens on Curry he follows the screener then drops back while Curry's defender stays on Curry. People don't realize what an athlete Shaq was. As much as he was getting burned tons of modern players get obliterated on the perimeter too. Is Gobert really stopping a Green/Curry play action either?

[999Guy]

Shaq would just become more extreme with his impact.

He’d be more dominant defensively on his dominant nights in a drop heavy scheme against good matchups and when he’s on fire defensively and in a rhthym.

And on the flip side his worst games where he gets exposed for laziness and ineptness would be, worse.


Shaq was more or less a decently good defender in his absolute prime, RS and PS. And consistently so in LA.

Against AD or Jokic, or LeBron or Kawhi, the 2020 Lakers, Nugs, and Clips would be given absolute hell in the bubble playoffs.

I don’t think they had the teams to expose Shaq on either end. Even the Bucks. He’d be a decent drop scheme wall off anchor against Giannis.

But the 2019 Warriors or Rockets? Forget about. He’d get tons of putbacks and OREB’s but he’d be smoked out on defense no question.

Really breaking it down now in my head and in this post, Shaq would be absolutely fine against most modern contenders.

It’s really prime Curry, Harden, and Paul who are deadly enough in PNR and live dribble shooting to really hurt him.

Kawhi and Durant much less so, because they’re just not manipulating and creative like those guys in the screen game. They’re much more predictable and narrow in their attack.

Kawhi low key struggles against drop bigs. Durant just isn’t an all-time deadly offensive force with the ball period.


And LeBron is a monster, but he’s rim reliant to a large degree. Shaq would be relatively fine against him.

2020 Jokic would do fine against Shaq but he wouldn’t kill him. Skinny Jokic of now would destroy Shaq’s defense and he wouldn’t be intimated/punked by him.

Changes nothing about how I think Shaq would do fine against 2020 Nuggets but just wanted to add that.

[Baller789]

Thats exactly what I was trying to say.

My apologies :rockon:

[Baller789]

Shaq would just become more extreme with his impact.

He’d be more dominant defensively on his dominant nights in a drop heavy scheme against good matchups and when he’s on fire defensively and in a rhthym.

And on the flip side his worst games where he gets exposed for laziness and ineptness would be, worse.


Shaq was more or less a decently good defender in his absolute prime, RS and PS. And consistently so in LA.

Against AD or Jokic, or LeBron or Kawhi, the 2020 Lakers, Nugs, and Clips would be given absolute hell in the bubble playoffs.

I don’t think they had the teams to expose Shaq on either end. Even the Bucks. He’d be a decent drop scheme wall off anchor against Giannis.

But the 2019 Warriors or Rockets? Forget about. He’d get tons of putbacks and OREB’s but he’d be smoked out on defense no question.

Really breaking it down now in my head and in this post, Shaq would be absolutely fine against most modern contenders.

It’s really prime Curry, Harden, and Paul who are deadly enough in PNR and live dribble shooting to really hurt him.

Kawhi and Durant much less so, because they’re just not manipulating and creative like those guys in the screen game. They’re much more predictable and narrow in their attack.

Kawhi low key struggles against drop bigs. Durant just isn’t an all-time deadly offensive force with the ball period.


And LeBron is a monster, but he’s rim reliant to a large degree. Shaq would be relatively fine against him.

2020 Jokic would do fine against Shaq but he wouldn’t kill him. Skinny Jokic of now would destroy Shaq’s defense and he wouldn’t be intimated/punked by him.

Changes nothing about how I think Shaq would do fine against 2020 Nuggets but just wanted to add that.

I agree.

But i think we also have to consider that Shaq wears the entire opponents out, not just his man. Through foul trouble, worrying on doubling or triple teaming him, etc.

That would ultimately affect their shooting specially late in games imo. Team guarding a mountain of a man is really physically taxing.

[Full Court]

But could Shaq deal with the defensive monster that is Rudy Gobert?

[Baller789]

But could Shaq deal with the defensive monster that is Rudy Gobert?

It will be like Shaq vs Mutombo part 2. :lol

[Xiao Yao You]

But could Shaq deal with the defensive monster that is Rudy Gobert?

would Shaq be able to stop him at the rim?

[Shaquille O'Neal]

Prime Shaq would be MVP in today's NBA because Lebron and Durant are in decline and there's no way Jokic, Giannis, or Embiid would be close to him in pure big man play. If Shaq was able to get things done against the more physical bigs of the 90s, he would dominate today's hybrid big men in the paint.

The 2015-2018 GSW changed the league paradigm to more emphasis on the 3 point shot. But that's because they have two all time greats in shooting with Curry and Klay. If a team had prime Shaq right now, they'd win the Championship, and teams would begin emphasizing true Big men again.

Of course. Having watched and rooted against the GOAT MJ all through the 90's, there's only one other time I thought "This just isn't fair"...2000 Lakers. Shaq was just that dude.

[eliteballer]

He would be slimmed down like pre 2000 Shaq and dominate