The 26-year-old is averaging 31.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, while the Cavs stand second in the East behind only the Milwaukee Bucks. Sure enough, Mitchell has proven him wrong as he elevated his game with the Cavs this 2022-23. At the time, the Los Angeles Lakers icon told the then-Utah Jazz star that he doesn’t “have what it takes to get to the next level.” To recall, during the 2021-22 season, Shaquille O’Neal went viral after an awkward exchange with Donovan Mitchell. “I did the same thing to Penny Hardaway, I did the same thing to Kobe Bryant, I did the same thing DWade. I think he can be one of the greatest ever, cause I see it in him,” Shaq said. I want to see how far I can push this kid. When I say something last year, he went out and played, right? And guess what, hopefully at the end of the season, he’ll be touted as one of the top guards. A lot of guys I like to poke and see what I can get. See you gotta understand about me, when I talk, I know exactly what I be doing. “That means my plan of tough love is working. Shaq then proceeded to remind everyone that it’s exactly the reason why he was harsh on Mitchell in the past. The explosive scorer is playing the best basketball of his career, which has propelled him to the MVP conversation alongside the likes of Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetounmpo. On his The Big Podcast, O’Neal talked about Mitchell’s hot start to the season with the Cavs. In fact, according to Shaq, he did the same thing to Kobe Bryant. If so, Inside the NBA could become must-watch TV for basketball and sports media fans for much different reasons in broadcasts through the rest of the 2020-21 season.Shaquille O’Neal was a very vocal critic of Donovan Mitchell, but the NBA legend emphasized he did it not out of spite but rather from his belief of what the Cleveland Cavaliers guard can accomplish with his talents. ? /gt5c81dH17īut are Shaq, Barkley, and Smith risking stars not wanting to talk with them in postgame interviews or refusing to respond to being challenged and having their merits questioned? The 'Inside the NBA' guys are still laughing about the Kevin Durant interview, and particularly this exchange with Chuck. And at least Mitchell engaged a bit, unlike Kevin Durant, who had nothing to say following his first game with the Brooklyn Nets after returning from an Achilles injury. But there might not be an opportunity to have that conversation with Mitchell again. Many would question doing this in a postgame setting and whether or not it makes good television. He didn’t want Mitchell to hear about it from second- and third-hand sources. O’Neal telling Mitchell that he and the studio crew were having that kind of discussion about him could be the equivalent of a sportswriter writing a tough piece about a player or team, then showing his or her face in the locker room the next day to answer for what they said.įrom that view, O’Neal putting it out there directly is commendable. It makes compelling television for O’Neal, Barkley, and Smith to dig deeper and explain why someone like Mitchell might not deserve that status yet, though the NBA would surely prefer that these guys sell the game and promote its stars. The analysts are challenging the idea that a great scorer isn’t necessarily an impact player who should be considered among the league’s best. This is the sort of dialogue that makes Inside the NBA such an entertaining, informative studio show.
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