After suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers in the Las Vegas Summer League, it was revealed on Monday that Shareef O'Neal had put pen to paper on a deal with the NBA G League Ignite. Shareef, the son of Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal, will now have to wait a bit longer for his NBA dream to come to fruition.
Three-time Lakers champ and former head coach Byron Scott has now chimed in on Shareef's current situation. The cameras of TMZ Sports recently caught up with the 61-year-old, who gave a brutally honest assessment of Shareef's recent stint with LA (h/t Jonathan Sherman of Lakers Daily):
“I think he looked a little bit out of place,” Scott said. “He wasn’t ready. I think he still has a little ways to go. I think the talent is there. Obviously, the athleticism is there. It’s just some other things he has to kind of tweak.”
It is obvious that this has been the general sentiment not only for the Lakers, but for the rest of the league. Shareef went undrafted during the 2022 NBA Draft last June, and no team has since decided to sign him. The Lakers gave him a shot in the Summer League, but as Scott said in his comment above, the 22-year-old didn't look ready just yet.
Scott then acknowledged that Shareef's NBA dream does not end here. The former fourth overall pick also touched on O'Neal's injury history, particularly when he underwent heart surgery a couple of years back:
“I think it is possible,” he said. “And I think the surgery did have — when you’re talking about surgery to the heart, that’s a big deal. … If people are criticizing that, that’s really unfair.”
Shareef O'Neal will now play with the G League's developmental team where he will hope to gain some much-needed experience. Scouts from around the league are likely going to keep their eye on him throughout the season, and it wouldn't be surprising if this kid finally makes the breakthrough to the NBA in the near future.
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