The Big Aristotle has always shared a special bond with his former teammate Kobe Bryant. Despite their differences over the years, the two managed to reconcile. The dynamic duo was what the Lakers needed. Reflecting on Hawks star Trae Young’s current struggles, O’Neal recounted how he and Kobe made it work for the Lakers. And while doing so, he offered some valuable advice for Young.

Speaking on the latest episode of his show, the 4x NBA Champion expressed confidence in Young. He was even confident in betting on the Hawks to reach at least the 10th spot in the standings. Warning against underestimating Young, Shaq emphasized that the star has the power to lead the team and keep it in the playoff contention. 

“They’re not bad to where they go below 10 so yeah it’s all about matchup. So 10 plays in or whatever 10 play seven or eight they like you don’t ever count Trae out cuz if he heats up he can carry it. But can he carry a whole season by itself to where they’re in the fifth sixth seventh spot? No that’s no disrespect to Trae,” O’Neal said while speaking of the condition.

However, Shaq also gave crucial advice to the Hawks organization. Shaquille O’Neal suggested that Trae Young would benefit greatly from having another star by his side. It should be someone willing to take shots and share the scoring load. He recalled how Kobe Bryant consistently took his own chances with shots, even when O’Neal was leading.

“He (Trae) needs help. He needs another respectful jock on the team. What I mean about a respectful jock, Trae, it’s your team, but I’m getting my shots up too. That’s how Kobe was to me,” O’Neal said.

O’Neal believed DeJounte Murray could have been that player for the Hawks, but he was recently traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, leaving the Hawks once again in search of a strong complementary star for Young.

Atlanta Hawks lost to Washington Wizards 

Apart from this, there’s quite a lot that the Hawks need to focus on. One major area is defense. The team didn’t have a strong defensive performance last season. As a result, the team had to level up. Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher were the most important additions to the team that expected to make a difference. 

However, in their matchups against the Washington Wizards, the team struggled with defending the three-point shot. The Wizards shot 48% and 42% from three in the first two games. Both of the Atlanta Hawks’ top defenders, Daniels and De’Andre Hunter, were absent. Young was exceptional, scoring an explosive 35 points to lead the Hawks. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough for the Hawks to hold off the Wizards.

The Washington Wizards ultimately defeated the Hawks 133-120 after winning the first encounter. Wizards’ Bilal Coulibaly was the show stealer scoring a career-high 27 points while showcasing strong defense to lead his team. Young and the Hawks might be in need of another star player to fill the gap that the Los Angeles Lakers legend mentioned.