Anyone else surprised that we haven't seen another Shaq like player

12footrim · Post #1 » by **12footrim** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:48 pm

come into the league in a quarter century plus since he has? I am a little actually even with the center position being more limited the last 5 or so years that's still a lot of time. I wouldn't have thought we would have seen another Shaq but at least someone that was 7 foot highly athletic and in the 280 range. It really doesn't even require a ton of shooting skill, just a catch and dunk guy that rebounds and blocks shots.

Who would even be the closest facsimile to Shaq the last 20 years? I can't even think of a 7 foot 280+ athletic player off the top of my head.

Zion might be the closest thing to weight and athletic ability and he's 6-6.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/2/25/21151896/zion-williamson-shaquille-oneal-pelicans-lakers

Bandit King · Post #2 » by **Bandit King** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:49 pm

Players don't even want to play center anymore esp. on the bulls

bulliedog8 · Post #3 » by **bulliedog8** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:50 pm

Giannis is the closest to Shaq

KokoKaizer · Post #4 » by **KokoKaizer** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:52 pm

Shaq was one of a kind ! So...

Not surprised at all !

12footrim · Post #5 » by **12footrim** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:52 pm

bulliedog8 wrote:Giannis is the closest to Shaq

I think he's his own different kind of player and certainly a lot more skilled with the ball. Shaq was just pure size and athleticism as much as anything. It just surprises me in 25 years we haven't seen someone you could at least call a poor mans Shaq that was 7 foot 280+ like. Heck shaq was more 325 with the lakers and still athletic.

12footrim · Post #6 » by **12footrim** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:53 pm

KokoKaizer wrote:Shaq was one of a kind ! So...

Not surprised at all !

Certainly but to not even have a poor mans version in 25+ years I would have thought there would be someone at his size that was athletic. I can't think of anyone though.

TravisScott55 · Post #7 » by **TravisScott55** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:54 pm

We'll never seen players like Shaq and Iverson. They were freaks of nature.

AwkwardBoogaloo · Post #8 » by **AwkwardBoogaloo** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:57 pm

12footrim wrote:come into the league in a quarter century plus since he has? I am a little actually even with the center position being more limited the last 5 or so years that's still a lot of time. I wouldn't have thought we would have seen another Shaq but at least someone that was 7 foot highly athletic and in the 280 range. It really doesn't even require a ton of shooting skill, just a catch and dunk guy that rebounds and blocks shots.

Who would even be the closest facsimile to Shaq the last 20 years? I can't even think of a 7 foot 280+ athletic player off the top of my head.

Zion might be the closest thing to weight and athletic ability and he's 6-6.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/2/25/21151896/zion-williamson-shaquille-oneal-pelicans-lakers

Drummond is listed at 7' 275lbs. Obviously he's nowhere near as dominant as Shaq was, but probably the closest comparison in terms of size and athleticism.

EDIT: Prime Dwight is probably an even closer comparison

12footrim · Post #9 » by **12footrim** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:57 pm

AwkwardBoogaloo wrote:
12footrim wrote:come into the league in a quarter century plus since he has? I am a little actually even with the center position being more limited the last 5 or so years that's still a lot of time. I wouldn't have thought we would have seen another Shaq but at least someone that was 7 foot highly athletic and in the 280 range. It really doesn't even require a ton of shooting skill, just a catch and dunk guy that rebounds and blocks shots.

Who would even be the closest facsimile to Shaq the last 20 years? I can't even think of a 7 foot 280+ athletic player off the top of my head.

Zion might be the closest thing to weight and athletic ability and he's 6-6.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/2/25/21151896/zion-williamson-shaquille-oneal-pelicans-lakers

Drummond is listed at 7' 275lbs. Obviously he's nowhere near as dominant as Shaq was, but probably the closest comparison in terms of size and athleticism.

Embid, Drummond, Dwight Howard I guess would be somewhat but they really are a lot smaller. Drummond is like 6-10

Whiteside? I think I would actually go with Whiteside as the player most like Shaq the last 25 years. He's still skinny though 265, maybe a rookie shaq.

druggas · Post #10 » by **druggas** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:07 pm

How many years between Wilt's arrival and Shaq's?

macNcheese3 · Post #11 » by **macNcheese3** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:08 pm

Shaq is a legend. They don't make guys like him anymore.

bringWallyBack · Post #12 » by **bringWallyBack** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:10 pm

Wasn't Sofoklis Schortsanitis considered to be a Greek mini Shaq?

Sent from my SM-G955U using RealGM mobile app

Orin · Post #13 » by **Orin** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:12 pm

12footrim wrote:
bulliedog8 wrote:Giannis is the closest to Shaq

I think he's his own different kind of player and certainly a lot more skilled with the ball. Shaq was just pure size and athleticism as much as anything. It just surprises me in 25 years we haven't seen someone you could at least call a poor mans Shaq that was 7 foot 280+ like. Heck shaq was more 325 with the lakers and still athletic.

Shaq was incredibly skilled, he was not just size and athleticism.

Guys like DeAndre Jordan, JaVale McGee are exemples of players with just size and athleticism, not Shaq.

Michael Jordan · Post #14 » by **Michael Jordan** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:15 pm

Shaq's combination of size, skill, and athleticism is extremely rare. People used to call Dwight the next Shaq in his early years but his skill level was never reached

Yallbecrazy · Post #15 » by **Yallbecrazy** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:18 pm

Ahem, Glen Davis?
Nathan Jawai?

Both were Shaq clones, physically and ability wise.

Optms · Post #16 » by **Optms** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:20 pm

bulliedog8 wrote:Giannis is the closest to Shaq

And yet he is still not even in the same stratosphere.

kobe_vs_jordan · Post #17 » by **kobe_vs_jordan** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:24 pm

Seeing another Shaq is like seeing another Wilt. Zion might be the closest as far as brute power goes.

12footrim · Post #18 » by **12footrim** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:25 pm

Orin wrote:
12footrim wrote:
bulliedog8 wrote:Giannis is the closest to Shaq

I think he's his own different kind of player and certainly a lot more skilled with the ball. Shaq was just pure size and athleticism as much as anything. It just surprises me in 25 years we haven't seen someone you could at least call a poor mans Shaq that was 7 foot 280+ like. Heck shaq was more 325 with the lakers and still athletic.

Shaq was incredibly skilled, he was not just size and athleticism.

Guys like DeAndre Jordan, JaVale McGee are exemples of players with just size and athleticism, not Shaq.

He couldn't shoot past 5 feet which was the skills I was referring too. He basically overpowered people and dunked or shot a hook shot on offense. He could pass and dribble well for a guy his size though.

Post #19 » by **NO-KG-AI** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:26 pm

We don't even see 7'1 300+ pound guys very often, even if you take out the qualifier that he has to be a super freak athlete like Shaq. Just getting a guy with the height and the humongous frame is already super rare.

Beethoven · Post #20 » by **Beethoven** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 5:28 pm

Cousins perhaps was the closest thing to resembling Shaq's game.