Kevin Durant believes Shaquille O’Neal would average triple-doubles if he played in today’s NBA, arguing that the league’s increased three-point shooting and spacing would create more opportunities for the Hall of Fame center. Durant made the comments while discussing the modern game with O’Neal on The Rushmore Podcast.
“Shaq would love this era because there’s more three-point shooting that opens. Everybody’s got to play the wings. I feel like it’s way more space for Shaq to operate,” Durant said. He added that O’Neal would score more points and collect more rebounds, while also benefiting from having more skilled teammates around him.
Durant specifically pointed to the opportunities created when opponents double-team dominant post players. With more reliable perimeter shooters available, O’Neal would have more passing options than he had during his playing career.
O’Neal agreed that he would score more points, but was less certain about the rebounding projection. He also disagreed with Durant’s broader assessment of the modern NBA, saying he preferred the earlier era because he wanted the ball in his hands.
O’Neal averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists over 19 NBA seasons. He recorded 13.9 rebounds per game in his rookie season with the Orlando Magic in 1992-93 and averaged a career-high 29.7 points in 1999-2000 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
His best single-season assist average was 3.8, also recorded in 1999-2000. O’Neal never averaged a triple-double during his career, although his combination of scoring and rebounding made him one of the league’s most productive centers.
The discussion also touched on O’Neal’s former Lakers teammates. When Durant suggested that O’Neal had fewer reliable shooters to pass to, O’Neal pointed to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers’ perimeter players, including Rick Fox, Derek Fisher and Robert Horry, as evidence that his championship teams had strong shooting options.
