Utah Jazz: 3 reasons why Royce O’Neale’s starting job should be permanent
No. 3: Stagger Mike Conley/Joe Ingles minutes
Moving Royce O’Neale into the starting lineup and Joe Ingles onto the bench will give the Utah Jazz the opportunity to stagger minutes between Mike Conley and Joe Ingles.
Conley and Ingles simply have not been able to co-exist on the court this season. It seems like they can never be in top form when they share the court together. They’re both ball dominant, and have slowly made adjustments playing more off-ball.
Ingles will have the ball in his hands a lot more often playing with the second unit, giving him the opportunity to regain some of that swagger he’s lost. I think O’Neale fits better as a starter, and Ingles fits better as a reserve.
Sometimes it’s all about fit in this league, and with Utah’s two major additions over the summer (Conley & Bogdanović) taking extra ball handling duties, Ingles has looked lost in the games at times.
Even though Ingles struggled with the bench unit earlier this season, I wouldn’t expect that to continue. I actually think he’ll make the bench a lot more dangerous. Ingles with Jordan Clarkson, Georges Niang and Tony Bradley? Not bad at all.
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These are three reasons why Royce O’Neale should remain a starter for the Utah Jazz. Who do you think should start? Let us know in the comment thread!