Shaq has never been shy about speaking his mind, and his latest comments on the Lakers prove nothing has changed.
“They have a legitimate big now, got two premier players,” Shaq told RG. “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.”
The Lakers wrapped up last season ranked 15th in threes made and 14th in three-point percentage. That middle-of-the-pack performance could be costly in a stacked Western Conference.
“You get eight spots to make the playoffs, and I expect them to have some type of home-court advantage,” Shaq 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.”
Los Angeles finished the 2024-25 season with a 50-32 record, good enough for the third seed. But they flamed out in the first round, falling 4-1 to the Timberwolves. The lack of size to match up with Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle was exposed, as was their cold shooting.
O’Neal also stirred the pot with a bold hypothetical about his early 2000s Lakers teams.
“You got to understand, when T-Mac out there by himself, he don’t really have room to operate,” Shaq said on Off The Record. “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).”
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