“I know for a fact that I’ll make 15 twos before you make 10 threes”- Shaquille O’Neal claims he would average 50 if he were playing in today’s NBA

O’Neal predicts he would be a nightmare and average 50 in today’s NBA.

As one of the most dominant forces the NBA has ever seen, Shaquille O’Neal has never been short on confidence. That self-assurance helped turn him into both a Hall of Famer and a global icon. But what if “The Big Diesel” played in today’s pace-and-space era? Would the modern game expose him, or would Shaq still steamroll through defenders like nothing’s changed?

For the four-time champion, he would have been greater than he was during his prime. The 2000 MVP sees himself averaging half the century mark over today’s soft interior defense.

“Somebody asked me the other day what would I average (in this era). I would average 50,” O’Neal said on “The Pivot Podcast”. “The reason why I would average 50 is because I wouldn’t do what everybody else is doing. You shoot a three on me, ‘Joker,’ you better make it because I’mma run by you, stand in the middle of the lane, and watch your whole team go, ‘Three seconds!’ Penny (Hardaway) gonna push that, and I’mma dunk it.”

Shaq did the math

“The Big Fella” evidently gave this scenario considerable thought before. After all, he already had an imaginary matchup and an imaginary teammate in mind. Moreover, Shaq has already done the math to determine how he could reach 50 using the same method O’Neal employed back then, but against today’s perimeter-oriented defenses.

“I know for a fact I’ll make 15 twos before you make 10 threes. I’m getting 30. And then now, when you foul somebody, it’s a flagrant, so guys don’t really want to foul you hard. That’s another 10 points right there. Then, I’mma concentrate on that free throw, that’s 45 points right there,” O’Neal added.

Somewhere in there, the Hall of Famer needed another five points to reach 50. Still, his point is clear: If he averaged 38 in the 2000 NBA Finals against much stiffer interior defenses, he could easily demolish anybody in his path today.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. There is no magic pill to fix Shaq’s career free-throw percentage (.504), although it’s possible that he could match his highest FTA per game (13.1), which came in the 2000-01 season. However, foul line accuracy would always be an issue for the 15-time All-Star.

Moreover, as Shaq himself admitted, he was never a great defender in space. In today’s game, his size could be a liability against players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton, or any of the star-caliber guards. Teams would test him in pick-and-rolls and likely try to run him off the floor, especially if his defensive effort mirrored the latter years of his career.

Nonetheless, superstar talent always transcends eras. Shaq may not hit 50 a night, but if defenses had no easy answer for him, they wouldn’t have one now.

“Be great”

If Shaq were in the league today, he clarified that nothing about his game would change. O’Neal would still live in the paint and physically punish defenders. So when he critiques players, especially big men, it’s not a call to play like him but a challenge to double down on what they already do well.

“That’s all I want people to do: Play at a high level… So, when you’re 7’4”, 250, don’t let MFers dunk on you. I ain’t criticizing them; just be great. Throw some ‘bows. If they’re dropping you off (passes), don’t fumble the ball. Be great. I don’t want you to be like me, I just want you to be great,” the 1992 first-overall pick stated.

O’Neal made the same point about Dwight Howard. “D12” was an athletic freak, so he should have been dunking over people and not wasting time trying to be somebody he wasn’t. To Shaq’s point, Dwight never averaged 25 and 15 in his prime, despite having the talent to do so. (Howard averaged a career-high 22.9 points per game in 2010-11).

That’s the same standard Shaquille holds himself to: playing to your strengths and dominating with them. O’Neal wasn’t built to stretch the floor, but he didn’t need to. In today’s game, surrounded by more spacing and fewer true rim protectors, that mindset would make “The Diesel” just as overwhelming, if not more so.