What is O Neal s dribble level?

In the stereotype of most fans, O'Neal is the inside giant. Relying on his terrifying power and height, he is a common occurrence in the penalty area and smashing rebounds. But his dribbling skills are often overlooked by everyone. In fact, the "Big Shark" dribbling skills are quite good!

From the perspective of physical conditions, O'Neal is 2.16 meters tall and weighs more than 300 pounds. This body shape is like a moving fortress on the basketball court. But his coordination and sense of ball are outstanding, which lays a solid foundation for his dribbling. As a teenager, he was even trained as a point guard. He had to do a lot of dribbling under the crotch, dribbling behind the back and change direction breakthrough training every day. Such solid basic skills gave him the flexibility of a small player when dribbling.

Entering his career, O'Neal brought this unique dribbling skill to the professional arena. In his rookie season against the Suns, he grabbed the defensive rebound and dribbled four times in a row with a back dribble, dribbling past the defensive player and dribbling one-stop dunk throughout the game. This operation made Suns guard Kevin Johnson call it "unfair." During the Lakers' three consecutive championships, Phil Jackson often arranged O'Neal to directly launch an offense after grabbing the rebound. In the 2001 Western Conference Finals series against the Spurs, O'Neal averaged 3.2 independent advancements from the backcourt to the frontcourt, which even surpassed the point guards of many teams. Popovich had no choice but to let David Robinson set up defense near the midfield in advance.

O'Neal is huge and has a high center of gravity when dribbling, but he overcomes this weakness through special training. For example, practicing dribbling on the slippery floor to enhance control of the ball. Moreover, his huge palms are 28 cm long, and grabbing basketball is like catching oranges, which makes his directional movements large but rarely make mistakes. When playing singles at low post, he can use dribble to make his opponent lose his center of gravity, and then use his physical advantages to score easily. He can also skillfully pass the ball to his teammates who are ambushing the outside, showing excellent control over the rhythm of the game.

Of course, there is still a gap between O'Neal's dribble and the top point guard. The top point guard has skilled dribbling skills, a high basketball IQ, and has comprehensive technical capabilities, which dominates the team's offense. O'Neal relies more on physical fitness and strength to solve problems, but this does not prevent him from becoming the best dribble among inside players. Even though he has reduced the frequency of carrying the ball with age and weight in the later stage, he can still show his dribbling skills at critical moments. In the 2006 Heat championship season, in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons, O'Neal grabbed a key rebound and dribbled through half the game by himself, assisting Wade to hit the winning goal, becoming a classic scene in the history of the NBA playoffs.

Overall, O'Neal's dribble level is an alien in the center position, perfectly combining the strength of the big man with the flexibility of the small man. His dribbling is not only a demonstration of his personal skills, but also a powerful weapon to create dislocation advantages and change the situation of the game on the court. In the long history of basketball, O'Neal's unique dribbling style has left a strong mark.