NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal never played a flashy game (except maybe when he played Michael Jordan in a 1-on-1 during All-Star pre-game practice). As a big man, Shaq came, dominated his opponents in the paint with brute force.

Arguably the most dominant force in basketball history offered a simple piece of advice for modern big men: master the skill you are best at.

"Their emphasis should be that whatever they do, be a master at it. Whatever it is you do," he said in an episode of The Old Man and The Three on Thursday, July 29. "I realize that big guys don't play the same...If you're an offensive guy, work on your offense, and you just play your game."

Shaq alluded to big men like Isaiah Hartenstein, a 'bruiser' known for his defensive game, in The Old Man and The Three show. He also gave major props to Ivica Zubac's "hard ball" game.

In the last few years, both Hartenstein and Zubac have established themselves as top big men in the league.

Hartenstein was instrumental in containing Victor Wembanyama with his physical defense in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Zubac, who now plays for the Pacers, has maintained his physical offensive presence in the paint. Both have been very successful in their roles.

But Shaq has different expectations from top-tier big men like Wembanyama. He also had a special message for the Frenchman.

Shaquille O'Neal has advice for Victor Wembanyama

It is officially beyond argument that Victor Wembanyama is the best big man in the league. The San Antonio star's third year in the league has established his place among the best in the league.

However, Shaq was disappointed with how Wemby handled his matchup against the OKC Thunder in the WCF. He was particularly dissatisfied with how Wemby handled Alex Caruso's defense.

"When you get to the level where people start calling you great, now you have to dominate," Shaq said further in the same episode of The Old Men and The Three. "I  wanted to see Victor dominate a little more. Like, you can't put Caruso on me ever. That's disrespect."

Caruso's heroics against Wemby headlined in the WCF. The Spurs star even admitted that he had a hard time executing his offense against Caruso. Caruso's step-back 3-pointer in iso was just the cherry on the cake.

"'Oh, coach, forget that play you called. They got Caruso.' Take your a** right in the middle lane...Catch it, make him double, then you kick it to a Vassel, you know, all those guys that can play on your team. But, you know, by you playing out there dribbling with Caruso, even though you beat them, you're just playing to their advantage," he said.

Caruso made every catch difficult for the 'Alien' and disrupted his rhythm. The Thunder player fronted him in the post, often stripped the ball with his active hands, and used his physicality as his defensive strategy.

Who knows, Wembanyama might be taking notes from 'Diesel.' The world will be watching when he has Caruso challenging him next.

Do you agree with Shaq's advice, or should Wemby keep playing his own game? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore