Shaq encourages son Shareef to study Pelicans star Anthony Davis

As a young, up-and-coming basketball player looking to establish an identity on the hardwood, Shareef O'Neal is afforded the luxury of having a future Basketball Hall of Famer for a "Shaq Daddy," so to speak.

Former NBA Most Valuable Player and current TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal knows a great deal about the ins and outs of the game. It would be easy for "The Big Aristotle" to advise his son to play a style similar to that of his old man, but O'Neal recognizes how that may not be the best course of action.

Instead, O'Neal is encouraging Shareef to keep an eye on Anthony Davis, because when he grows into his body, he'll probably end up looking more like the New Orleans Pelicans' All-Star and less like the "Diesel."

"I told him to watch Anthony because he's probably going to be the same height and have the same type of build,'' O'Neal said to the Times-Picayune's John Reid. ''Not skinny, but long.

''(Davis is) probably the best at that position. He can run, rebound, dominate, take over games. He's going to do his thing this year.''

It's easy to make the Davis comparisons after watching Shareef - who already stands at a whopping 6-foot-8 - move up and down the floor. but at the end of the day, it will be on the 15-year-old to figure out the type of player he wants to be.

"I won't steer him along,'' O'Neal said. ''He's got to find his way. He's a big guy that can shoot it.''

O'Neal also mentioned how Shareef is learning more by watching the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant.