Utah Jazz: Royce O’Neale has been a gem leading up to All-Star break

Utah Jazz reserve guard/forward Royce O’Neale has been one of the team’s most steady and consistent players since the start of 2019.

A recent disappointing loss to the Golden State Warriors notwithstanding, there’s a lot for Utah Jazz fans to be excited about heading into the All-Star break. Their team currently finds itself in sixth place in the West, with the fourth seed and home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs well within striking distance. Since the turn of the calendar year, the Jazz have played much better than they did to start the year, and the easiest portion of their schedule still lies ahead.

Even the recent loss to the Warriors was more encouraging than it was disheartening. The Jazz competed with Golden State every step of the way, even putting up a 40-point third quarter to lead for nearly half of the fourth quarter before a stagnant offense and prolific burst by their opponent proved too much to overcome.

Still, it’s common knowledge that no team, be it the Jazz or anyone else, can really keep pace with the Warriors, so even seeing them able to hang that close was somewhat reassuring.

And speaking of good signs for the Utah Jazz as they aim to surge following a much-needed All-Star break rest, one of the greatest positives they’ve had in recent weeks has been the incredible play of reserve guard/forward Royce O’Neale.

The way that O’Neale concluded last season, including earning the starting nod in the second-round series against the Houston Rockets, left many Jazz fans with high hopes regarding how he could pan out this year. He already had his defensive craft down to a tee, but if he were able to also add an offensive game to that lockdown ability, he was bound to be a true 3-and-D force to be reckoned with.

Unfortunately, O’Neale didn’t get off to nearly the start that Jazz fans would’ve hoped and many were quick to dismiss his solid play last season as a mere anomaly. During the month of November, he shot just 25 percent from beyond the arc, then in December saw his playing time dip to a mere 15 minutes per game while he averaged a measly 3.7 points per contest.

However, just as the Jazz as a whole have turned things around in 2019, O’Neale has done so as well in incredible fashion. During the month of January, he converted on 48.5 percent of his field goal attempts and 43.5 percent of his threes. As if that wasn’t good enough, he’s elevated his game to an even more incredible level in Utah’s five games in February, shooting a scorching 69 percent from the field and cashing in on an incredible 64.7 percent of his threes.

That hot shooting has put him at 11 points per game during the course of the past five contests. If maintained over the course of an entire season, that mark would put him over double of what he produced a year ago.

Not only has Royce’s shooting improved, but he’s been an overwhelming positive for the Jazz in all aspects of late. Since January 1, Utah boasts a net rating of 6.6 when he’s on the floor as compared to 3.7 when he’s off. Even with his uptick in scoring, the defensive end is where his presence is still being felt the most as the Jazz have boasted a defensive rating of 100.9 when he’s been on the floor during that stretch, the best of any Jazz player who’s appeared in all 20 games in 2019.

Meanwhile, Utah’s defensive rating worsens to 105.2 with Royce on the sidelines. That’s a highly significant swing.

Lately, when Royce lines it up from 3-point land, you just have a feeling that it’s going to go down, and his defense remains as solid as ever. O’Neale is playing with a confidence and intensity beyond what we’ve ever seen out of him. And if the Jazz are to make a big run to close out the year and finish the season strong, they’ll need him to keep it up.

With such a shortage of scorers on this roster, having O’Neale as a reliable slashing and 3-point option is an invaluable luxury. While his field goal and 3-point shooting percentages above 60 percent during the month of February are far from sustainable, continuing to take advantage of open looks and thriving defensively are still very much where he can and should be.

The Jazz need him as an offensive and 3-and-D threat in order to add an extra wrinkle to their team. If his recent breakout play is any indication, both he and his Jazz team as a result could be in for a thrilling conclusion to the 2018-19 NBA season.