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Shaquille O 'Neal may have been the most dominant center of his era, but Denver Nuggets' center, Nikola Jokic, shows no signs of intimidation. During an interview with the NBA on TNT's crew, Jokic said the Hall of Fame Center, which measures 7 feet on 1, could not keep it.
While Shaq was not known to be a dominant defender, he was a giant 7-foot-1, 320-pounder at his peak. He was also selected three times in the all-defensive team in 2000, 2001 and 2003, so it's not like he's in a free fall on that side of the field.
Jokic is considered one of the most skilled centers of this period, but it is a completely different time than when Shaq was playing. Large men were better off in the 90s and early 2000s, but they were also much more physical. While Jokic certainly earns points in painting by scoring, the rules do not allow as much low physical play. In addition, the accelerated pace in recent seasons has left more freedom for the offensive.
That said, Jokic has a complete game that does not only see him scoring goals in the post, but also sees him shooting at 3 points. The Jokic 7-foot, 249-pound career shooter is 36.8 percent of the 3-point range.
We will never know if Shaq would actually be able to keep Jokic with both players in their prime numbers. But since Shaq had problems protecting the old great European man Arvydas Sabonis at the time, he might have had trouble protecting another European import with similar skills and size.
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