Who is Royce O’Neale?

/ sgodfrey630

My wife was born in 1992. The next best thing came a year later, Royce O’Neale in 1993.

While everyone is raving about Donovan Mitchell—and rightfully so—it’s easy to forget another rookie is on the roster and also making a run for the All-Rookie team. O’Neale, the 24-year-old, made his first start of the season against Portland on Sunday night, as Mitchell moved to starting point guard with Ricky Rubio out. O’Neale was quietly amazing. He only finished with four points, one a nice dunk, but had a block and a steal, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Oh, and he was a +28, the highest on the team.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

ICYMI: High flying rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell is heading to the Dunk Contest. We’re lucky to have him and should just enjoy the show as his hype and historic season continues. 

Every Hero Needs an Origin Story

It’s amazing to see how far O’Neale has come just to be on the Jazz roster in the first place. He played college ball at Denver in the WAC straight out of high school where his crowning achievement was being named All-Wac Third Team. For emphasis: Third Team. In: the WAC. After two years in grand Colorado, he transferred to Baylor for his next two. During his senior season, O’Neale started and played in 33 games, averaging six rebounds and 10 points a ball game. His shooting percentage was high and he hustled on defense, but he went undrafted in the summer of 2015.

O’Neale did the overseas thing next—in Germany, with a Spanish Club, and with a Lithuanian club—mixed in with some summer league ball with the Golden State Warriors and the Utah Jazz. Before the season tipped off in 2017, Royce O’Neale was the last man added to the roster. To add him, the Jazz cut Joel Bolomboy: a big man, local/Weber State alum, their own draft pick, and fan favorite.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Initially, it didn’t look like O’Neale would become the new fan favorite. O’Neale started his season with one minute of playing time versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, then got two minutes a week later versus the Dallas Mavericks. In late November, he played 21 minutes versus the Clippers as he nailed 3/4 deep bombs and scored 11 points.  The minutes were still limited until mid-February when Rodney Hood went out with an injury and O’Neale was asked to do a bit more. Now that Hood is traded, the rookie is a critical cog in the rotation, a member the Jazz can’t live without.

O’Neale is just another example to Dennis Lindsey’s talent at finding talent and Quin Snyder’s ability to maximize that talent. Instead of just being another guy that can’t get into the league, Lindsey found a gem in his pocket and took a chance on it. Lindsey has done this a lot which helps the Jazz field a team of youth and depth. You combine that with Snyder and staff being focused on developing talent and making players better, and we have a recipe for the best chocolate chip cookies. Could O’Neale be another Wesley Matthews? It’s real easy to foresee. Let’s just hope we don’t let this one go away.

Super-Power: Defense

His value starts on the defensive end. It’s what got him in the league, on the roster, and extended minutes. To be a Jazz player, to be on Quin’s good side, to excel in the NBA: you have to play defense. At 6-foot-6, 215 lbs, O’Neale can switch across the guard positions, while also lining up at his natural small forward position. It’s easy to conceive that he will one day be able to man up at the power forward slot as well, and stretch defenders out on offense, too.

All upcoming stats taken from bball-ref. For comparison’s sake, Joe Ingles, the known defender on the roster, scores a .4 Defensive Box Plus/Minus, which estimates the number of points per 100 possessions a player contributed above a league-average player, translated to an average team. O’Neale sits slightly higher, at .5.  Ingles gives the Jazz a 1.7 Defensive Win Share, which is the number of wins a player gives the team based on their defense. O’Neale isn’t too shabby himself, nailing down at .7.

What I like about O’Neale on defense is that he keeps his feet moving and hands up. You rarely see him commit a foul. In fact, O’Neale has only committed 19 total shooting fouls on the season. This number is a testament to his technique and ethic on the defensive side of the ball. Since he can play defense, he will always have a place in the league.

Utah’s Royce O’Neale (23) defends Oklahoma City’s Paul George (13) during an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017. Oklahoma City won 107-79. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman

 

Additional Power: Three-Point Shooting

The next necessity for a Jazz man is to be able to shoot from deep. It’s the modern NBA and three-pointers are worth more than two. O’Neale is extremely consistent as a shooter, hitting at 52% on his Effective Field Goal Percentage. From deep, O’Neale puts up nearly two threes a game, but connects on 39% of his attempts. Like most of the Jazz team, 40% of his threes are from a corner, where he can hit on 46% of his attempts. It’s the bread and butter for the team, and O’Neale.

Against the Spurs last week, O’Neale showed his deep shot potential when he went 4/4 en route to a career-high 18 points. He doesn’t force his shots, but lets them come via the offense. He is careful, spot-up, and nearly automatic. It wouldn’t hurt to see him put up a few more as his minutes are now extended.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The Potential: Per-36

In fact, his minutes are bound to ascend now that Hood has a new home in Cleveland. Currently, O’Neale averages 13 minutes a game on the season, but his February average crept up close to 25 minutes. 30 might be pushing it moving forward since we added Jae Crowder, but imagine what his statistical input could be if he were to get upwards of 36 minutes.

Per 36 Minutes Table
Season FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% FT FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2017-18 4.3 10.0 .432 1.7 4.5 .386 2.6 5.5 .471 2.6 3.3 .788 7.9 3.2 1.2 0.2 1.7 3.3 13.0
Career 4.3 10.0 .432 1.7 4.5 .386 2.6 5.5 .471 2.6 3.3 .788 7.9 3.2 1.2 0.2 1.7 3.3 13.0
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/11/2018.

The percentages stay the same, but he could take 4.5 threes, and hitting on two would be awesome. His rebounding numbers also jump out, valuable from a shooting guard or small forward position. Why did the Jazz feel comfortable sending Hood away? Rolls Royce.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The best part? He is on a rookie contract, set to make 800,000 this year. The Jazz hold his rights and options for the next two years where he will make 1.3 and 1.6 million.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

But Wait, There’s More: His Passes

Sunday night against Portland, O’Neale not only did his job on D and from three, but also unleashed some point-forward potential. He directed traffic, participated in some good dribble, drive, and kicks, and contributed some highlight-worthy dimes. Consider:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Yet, the Best of the Best: His Mom

Royce is humble, hard-working, knows his role, and does his job. He is a quality NBA player, but a quality human being, too. What made him that way? Probably his mother. Who is even cooler than Royce? Probably his mother.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

 

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

If you like what you’re reading, sign up for my email list, follow me on Twitter @JazzJunkie12 or go like The Tortured Fan Instagram. As always, Go Jazz and #TakeNote. 

One thought on “Who is Royce O’Neale?”

  1. Thanks for the post. Love the read. I am excited to see what the future holds for O’Neale. I hope he continues to get more minutes. He seems to make the most of them.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment