The 2024-25 NBA season is just over a month away, and there are many storylines heading into the new year including the continuous rise of San Antonio Spurs’ young star Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama is coming off a dominant rookie season in which he finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, was named to the All-Defensive First Team, won the Rookie of the Year award, and was named to the All-Rookie First Team. He was also the NBA blocks leader. More news: NBA Journeyman, NCAA Star Signs With German Team to Continue Basketball Career Wembanyama is as dominant as they come, and that’s just his defense. On the offensive side, he can do it all on the court, whether that’s finishing at the rim, mid-range, or even from behind the arc. While Wembanyama can do it all, some, like NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, believe that he should live in the paint. “The Diesel” was asked on the Pat McAfee show what it would take for Wembanyama to be a dominant player, and like always, Shaq didn’t sugarcoat his response. O’Neal explained why Wemby is not a dominant player. “Wemby is a great player. But I don’t really think you can be dominant when you shoot jumpers a lot. I think if he was an inside player at 7-foot-5, the answer would be yes. But when you shoot jumpers, you’re always going to go up and down,” O’Neal said. The game has changed a lot since O’Neal retired. There are hardly any more traditional big men, especially with the emergence of Wembanyama. Although he stands at 7-foot-4, he is not your traditional center. He’s long, lean, and virtually has no weakness on the basketball court. At 20 years old, he has already established himself as a future superstar in the league. In his rookie season, Wembanyama shot 46.5 perfect from the field, attempting 1,186 shots and converting 551 of them. That was a mix of jump shots and attempts near the basket. Wembanyama attempted 16.7 shots per game and 5.5 treys per game while making 32.5 percent from beyond the arc. The Frenchman should be better and will be better. While O’neal knows a thing or two about dominance, Wemby doesn’t need to live in the paint or take fewer jumps to be dominant. The beauty of his game is that it is versatile. Whether he takes fewer jumpers or the same amount, he will be just fine.