The final game of the brand spanking-new NBA In-Season Tournament is set for Saturday, December 9, in Las Vegas. It’s an interesting matchup, with the LA Lakers from the West facing the upstart and unexpected Indiana Pacers from the East.
If you didn’t stay up late to watch the west coast game, the Lakers absolutely blew out the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinal matchup. Final score: 133-89 for LeBron and his Lakers teammates.
That frankly underwhelming performance by the Pelicans drew some (also frankly) harsh words from NBA Hall of Famer and legend Shaquille O’Neal. Our favorite big man aimed most of his criticism at NOP’s big man, Zion Williamson. Williamson finished the night’s action with what can only be called a “quiet” 13 points.
On TNT’s Inside the NBA, O’Neal got right to the point, saying, “He does not run hard.” In addition, Shaq pointed out what he called Williamson’s inactivity when it came to creating easy points down the block.
Shaq: “He doesn’t seal. He doesn’t demand the ball. Like you got a small guy and we talk about it all the time. Barbecue Chicken. Charles (Barkley) talks about it all the time. You can’t let a little guy guard you.”
O’Neal even mentioned Zion’s body language. For a man who absolutely dominated the paint during his playing time, Shaq knows a good look when he sees one, and he didn’t like what he saw: “He doesn’t have that look. Like, I’m not the greatest ever but I know a look when I see it. … Tiger Woods had that look. Jack Nicholson had that look”.
Shaq talked about Williamson’s lack of rebounding and other issues, but he was also quick to point out that he didn’t want to write Williamson off, but wanted to offer a “lesson from one great big man to another guy to be a great big.,
Shaq acknowledged that he made similar mistakes early in his career, too: “I was just like him. I was just like that but people used to pull me to the side. I had a guy who always used to say hey man, okay you had 24 points but you’re not working as hard.”
Will Zion listen to Shaq’s guidance? Hard to tell. But the regular NBA season still has a long way to go after this week’s Tournament wrap-up. New Orleans fans will see soon enough if Williamson steps up his game to Shaq-approved levels.