Royce O’Neale is back in his starting role for the Utah Jazz, and based on what we have seen, he should remain in that role permanently.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Utah Jazz. You can say the same thing about a number of Jazz players. One player that has been consistent from game one to game fifty-nine, though, is Royce O’Neale.
The well-rounded forward, who went undrafted out of Baylor in 2015, has started all but nine games this season for the Utah Jazz. On February 1st, he was moved to the bench, but he’s since been placed back in the starting lineup.
This comes after the whole benching fiasco involving Mike Conley and Joe Ingles. It was thought that Conley would be on the bench, but O’Neale would end up replacing Ingles instead.
The Jazz are now back to the starting lineup they used during the first game of the season. In my eyes, this is the lineup that will give them the best chances of finding a consistently dangerous unit.
- Mike Conley
- Donovan Mitchell
- Bojan Bogdanović
- Royce O’Neale
- Rudy Gobert
If O’Neale is starting, that means that Joe Ingles will be coming off the bench. This gives Utah two starting-caliber players in Ingles, along with Jordan Clarkson, coming off their bench. They’ll provide the Jazz with a lethal scorer (Clarkson) and elite playmaker (Ingles) in the second unit.
The Jazz have a record of 34-15 with O’Neale as a starter and a record of 3-6 as a reserve.
Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, O’Neale has proven to be a critical piece to Utah’s foundation. That’s why the Jazz awarded him with a four-year, $36 million contract extension back in January.
With all of that being said, let’s get into this and take a look at the first reason why Royce O’Neale should remain a starter for the Utah Jazz.
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.
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.
No. 2: Another athletic body
One topic of discussion lately regarding the Utah Jazz is the lack of athleticism on the roster. During his show, Colin Cowherd played his famous 3-word game, saying that the Jazz “need another athlete.”
It’s a fair assessment, and something that the Jazz will simply have to work around. One of the better athletes on the team is Royce O’Neale. He’s more of a “3&D” player, but he can make things happen with his driving ability as well.
Over the past year, the Jazz have lost some elite athletes such as Grayson Allen, Dante Exum and Jeff Green.
I think having another live body like O’Neale opens some things up. He’s a guy that will hustle, dive on the floor for loose balls and put his body on the line. He’s super smart with his decision making, an active cutter and pushes the pace.
To be clear, I don’t think this is a major issue for the Jazz. You want the best athletes in the league, of course, but the Jazz have enough overall skill to get away with it.
O’Neale is a good fit in the starting lineup next to Rudy Gobert. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective, he can stretch the floor and explode to the basket when it’s open.
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.
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!