ElGee wrote:I'm not sure what other play in NBA history gives me that combination. There really is no such thing with redundancy with O'Neal, on either end of the court. The secret to his success, IMO, and something Phil Jackson understood, was that he could play the mid-post game. That allowed for proper spacing, but it also took advantage of Shaq's good passing. And since he really was an efficient scoring beast going one-on-one -- how do you like your whole front line being fouled out otherwise you give up like 1.4 to 1.5 ppp against his isolation? -- he dictated to basically ANY defense in the league.
Do you agree with that assessment? The downside of the mid-post is that it's further away from the basket where the higher-percentage shots are and where shooting fouls and and-1s are more frequent. The upside is that it opens up the paint for cutters and is an easier entry pass, resulting in fewer bad pass turnovers. Lower raw TS%/FG%/FTr but offset by lower TOV% and more high-value passing opportunities.
Shaq was a strong passer with quality court vision and had good-but-not-great scoring range, although he could dribble well enough to back down his man defender into the low & deep post. He could make a nice face-up attack now and then off one dribble, but it was not common. I'd like to think O'Neal would utilize his functional handle for more face-up moves out of the mid & high posts and PnR in today's NBA, but that may be wishful thinking.
This comment by Ben Taylor/Thinking Basketball/ElGee surprised me because I have always thought Shaq's off-ball low-post/deep-post game is what made him special. What made him stand out among post-players regarding on-court ORtg and team ORtg in both the regular season and the postseason.
Some definitions if you don't know what the mid-post is & how it differs from the low-post and high-post:
In basketball, the mid-post is the area on the court located between the low post (closer to the basket) and the high post (near the free throw line extended). It's generally considered to be between the block (the area next to the lane, often painted) and the free throw line extended, typically around 10-15 feet from the basket.
Low Post:
This area is directly adjacent to the lane and near the basket, often including the block.
Mid-Post:
This area is further out from the basket than the low post, but not as far as the high post. It's often visualized as the area between the free throw line extended and the block.
High Post:
This area is near the free throw line extended, usually at the elbows of the free throw lane.
so if Shaq is in the mid-post you can start the offense earlier in the shot-clock 