The Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in Shareef O’Neal which is interesting to say the least

The Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in Shareef O’Neal.

The son of Hall of Famer big-man and former Cleveland Cavaliers player Shaquille O’Neal has a son, Shareef O’Neal, who is looking to turn pro this season. Shareef, unlike his Hall of Fame father, is not a highly-touted prospect. His college career was marred by injuries and health issues, namely a heart issue which was seemingly addressed.

He spent time at UCLA and LSU but saw limited minutes and only played in 37 games across three seasons, averaging just 11 minutes per game. His numbers are pedestrian and his stock is at an all-time low. Once a four-star recruit coming out of high school, the younger O’Neal is now facing an uphill battle for him to make it to the NBA.

O’Neal, like another second-generation player Gary Payton, may find his way to a team via undrafted free agency. Should that happen, the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be interested in the LSU big-man, bringing him into town for a workout with several other prospects; this, according to Jovan Buha.

Like with other second-gen guys, like Payton, Seth Curry, and others, the hope is that O’Neal emerges in the Summer League and G-League as a project prospect. If that’s the case, then it’s very possible he makes some sort of impact as a specialist.

Shareef O’Neal has some interesting intangibles

If you saw O’Neal in the G League Elite Camp in May, you know that there is an upside for the young big man. He’s 6’10 and crazy athletic and has a better set of skills than his father. For his dominance, the elder O’Neal was really limited in what he could do outside of throwing his weight around. His son’s a better shooter and has better passing instincts, though he’s far from being as physically dominant as his after was.

Because of that lack of dominance, the younger O’Neal will need to find other ways to contribute. He has great follow-through offensively and is seemingly always ready to clear the boards off missed shots. He’s a good-rim runner and should be a decent shot-blocker.

He’s not a starter or even a role layer as a rookie but maybe two years in the G-League and some time with the Summer League will get O’Neal to a play on a team not too dissimilar to Lamar Stevens.