The Utah Jazz are the best team in the NBA right now. They lead the league with a 20-5 record, which matches its best start in franchise history, having won 16 of their last 17 games. One of the biggest reasons for the team’s success has been the play of guard Donovan Mitchell, who is putting up big numbers a year after being named as an All-Star for the first time.

Even Mitchell’s skeptics earlier this season seem to have been turned into believers, like former player and TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal. During a postgame interview a few weeks ago, O’Neal said the Jazz star does not have what it takes to get to the next level, which the 24-year old guard brushed off.

But the four-time champion now appears to be taking credit for motivating Utah’s rising star during the halftime report of the Jazz’s latest game against the Boston Celtics.

“I never hate, I just try to give constructive criticism,” O’Neal said, per Ryan Miller of KSL.com. “My whole career I've been a leader and I motivate my players a certain way. So, you're welcome Utah.”

Mitchell finished with 36 points in the Jazz’s 122-108 win over the Celtics. O’Neal’s effort to take credit for the guard’s stellar play, however, was not surprising and was predicted by NBA insider Tom Haberstroh.

But even if O’Neal credits himself for supposedly motivating the Louisville product, the Athletic’s Sam Vecenie pointed out that Mitchell’s numbers after his interview with Shaq were similar to his numbers before the interview.

Even if O’Neal may not agree, the numbers show that the only person who should take credit for Mitchell’s brilliant play is the man himself. In the process, he's making the Jazz look like a legitimate contender.