“He’s Just a Nice Guy”: Shaquille O’Neal Demands More Aggression From the ‘Big Man Club’ Member

The Sacramento Kings and the New York Knicks had a tight first half today, but the former had a promising 8-point lead to finish the second quarter. De’Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray, and Keon Ellis were all aggressive on the offense, which gave the Kings a lead at halftime. However, Shaquille O’Neal is demanding more from 3x All-Star Domantas Sabonis, who is the most recent addition to his famous ‘Big Man’ centers list. 

Shaq shared on Inside the NBA, “I would like him at the same aggression as De’Aaron Fox…I have heard from a lot of guys that he is probably one of the strongest guys in the league…I want him to be more aggressive…but right now, he’s just a nice guy. He does everything right, there is nothing wrong in his game. I don’t like to see a guy of this caliber have 8 points.”

Like Shaquille O’Neal said, Sabonis had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists at halftime, while Fox had 16 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. To stay on the Big Man Club list of Shaq, Sabonis needs to be more dominant inside the paint.

The Lithuanian center leads the league with 26 triple-doubles and 72 double-doubles this season, and that is a reason why Shaq wanted to put him on the Big Man list. However, this dominance was totally absent against the Knicks today. 

The Sacramento Kings fumble big time as the Knicks give De’Aaron Fox and Sabonis an embarrassing loss

Shaq’s point was proven in the second half of the game as well. There was no aggression from Sabonis or the Kings. Despite a 21-point deficit in the third quarter, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart hustled all the way to an 11-point victory(120-109). Brunson had 35 points and 11 assists, while Hart had 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Even with the absence of Julius Randle, who is out for the rest of the season, Sabonis and the Kings did not take advantage of the paint. 

Read more: Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Domantas Sabonis Are Carrying on 1 Dying Tradition, as Per Ex-Lakers Star

Fox was the only player who showed up in the second half, to finish with 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. What’s more disappointing is that the Kings are on the verge of falling to 9th seed. The Lakers who have 44 wins are tied with the Kings. One more loss can push the Kings to the 9th spot and that can turn into trouble in the play-ins. Furthermore, Fox and Sabonis are facing the 1st seed Boston Celtics tomorrow. Do you think the Kings can escape play-in elimination?

Read more: NBA Champion Warns Anthony Davis Against Kings’ Domantas Sabonis After Embarrassing Display