Lakers News: What Position Shaquille O'Neal Thinks Best Suits Anthony Davis

Laker legend does not consider Anthony Davis a center

Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis has been on a tear. He's playing like his dominant self and is re-establishing himself as one of the best players in the NBA.

As soon as the Lakers traded for him in the summer of 2019, he was instantly put into the conversation of great Lakers' big men. The list is astonishing; they were not only great Laker big men but also all-time greats in basketball: George Mikan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and some might put Pau Gasol up there, though he played at both the power forward and center spots.

However, according to the three-time Laker champion, Shaquille O'Neal, he considers Davis as a power forward instead of a "big man," which clearly in this context to Shaq means center.

"First note, let's not get it twisted, Anthony Davis is not a big man, he's a power forward," O'Neal said. "So let's just let's put combined big man and power forward, we can have this argument all day, every day. He's playing great. Not being critical of him, I'm giving him the same information that Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] gave me."

The three-time Finals MVP is certainly entitled to his opinion, nit-picky as it may be.

Let's look at the numbers and see if he's really a power forward/big man.

According to Basketball Reference, the eight-time All-Star has seen some split time as a power forward and center with the Lakers. However, as of late, Basketball Reference has him under as a center for both last season and this season. He last "played" power forward in the 2020-2021 season for 36 games. This season, he's played at the center position in the 25 games he's participated in.

The Hall of Famer may say that due to Davis's playing style. He's much more finesse than The Diesel, but AD can be just as dominant as Shaq was when he's right.

Davis is having one of his best seasons as a Laker in 2022-2023 and is undoubtedly on his way to solidifying himself as one of the best Laker centers/big men/power forwards of all time.