Utah Jazz: 3 reasons why Royce O’Neale’s starting job should be permanent
No. 1: Defense, of course
The main reason why the Utah Jazz decided to reinsert Royce O’Neale into the starting lineup was because of Utah’s sudden fall on the defensive end of the court.
O’Neale is easily Utah’s best perimeter defender. He often gets the responsibility of guarding the opposing teams best player and he holds his own. He’s got the foot speed, length and competitiveness of an elite defender.
Over the past ten games, the Jazz have allowed an average of 114.2 points per game, which is a much higher number than we are typically used to seeing with a defensive oriented team like the Jazz.
Must Read. Can the Utah Jazz still make a Conference Finals run?. light
Now, O’Neale isn’t going to fix Utah’s defensive problems by himself, but putting him on the floor more often is a start. This team isn’t playing well right now, especially defensively, but we all know how good they can be on that end of the floor.
Maybe the insertion of O’Neale can jumpstart things. Maybe it won’t. One thing is for sure, this team needs to get back to defending, and besides Rudy Gobert, there’s nobody else I trust on the defensive end of the floor more than Royce O’Neale.