More dominant than O'Neal? Wembanyama labeled as Shaq 2.0, executive calls him a nightmare for the entire league

Thanks to his unparalleled build and versatile play on the floor, Wembanyama has been dubbed "the alien," yet another NBA team executive offers a different perspective on the Spurs standout. Speaking to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the executive described Wembanyama as "Shaq 2.0," bluntly stating that "he's a nightmare for the whole league," citing that Wembanyama has evolved comprehensively beyond O'Neal's style of play from back in the day.

The opposing team's front-office figure remarked: "People naturally compare him to Shaq, but he is truly an upgraded version of the Big Diesel. He takes good care of his body, his game fits the modern era, he can hit threes, and his free throws are solid — yes, he is indeed a nightmare for every team out there."

Before the start of the 2023 draft, there was almost no reason to question Wembanyama's potential. Bleacher Report scout Tyler Wasserman wrote in his scouting report: The league has never seen a big man standing 7'4" who also possesses self-created offense, outside shooting, and playmaking ability.

Only in his third professional season, Wembanyama has already lived up to that assessment. He scores efficiently, knocks down threes, handles the ball, and on defense he resembles an alien monster from Space Jam, dominating the paint.

Similar to O'Neal, Wembanyama led his team to the NBA Finals in his third season. O'Neal guided the Magic to the Finals in the 1994-95 season, only to be swept by the Rockets.

Their third-year résumés also share another parallel: In 1994-95, O'Neal finished second in MVP voting and was named to the All-NBA Second Team; this season, Wembanyama placed third in MVP balloting and earned a spot on the All-NBA First Team.

Now, as Wembanyama leads his team against the Knicks, he hopes for a drastically different Finals outcome than the one O'Neal experienced. At just 22 years old, he could become the second-youngest Finals MVP in NBA history. In the 1979-80 season, a 20-year-old Magic Johnson won the award with the Lakers, holding the record for youngest Finals MVP.

At 8:30 AM Beijing time today, Wembanyama will lead the Spurs into the Frost Bank Center for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Knicks.