Royce O’Neale – Solidify the “3” in his potential “3-and-D” title
In today’s NBA, so-called “3-and-D” players are among the most valuable pieces a team can have on their roster. Formerly an unknown and undrafted player, Royce O’Neale carved out a nice nitch with the Jazz as a bona fide rotation player worthy of heavy minutes with the potential to become one of those 3-and-D studs.
The only problem – while O’Neale was an extraordinary defender, he didn’t exactly get the “3” part down as he shot just 35.6 percent from deep. That’s not a horrible mark by any means, but there’s certainly room for improvement. O’Neale did get hot at times and this mark was hurt by a slump he went through all during the month of March, but to say he’s a sharpshooter is still inaccurate.
In the postseason, he went a nearly identical 35.7 percent from deep which, again, wasn’t bad, but wasn’t where Utah needed it, especially if they hoped to overcome a tough Houston team.
O’Neale was one of the biggest surprises of 2017-18 and deserves to be praised far more than to be criticized for his efforts. However, if he is to take a leap and help his Jazz team improve as well, it’s vital that he convert himself into more of a 3-point weapon.