Utah Jazz: Ranking the 10 projected rotation pieces

6. Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale (projected starter)

If Eric Paschall and Rudy Gay exceed their somewhat measured expectations next season, then they could often threaten, in a friendly way, the playing time of Royce O’Neale. In fact, with all the new talent in town at or around his position, it seems doubtful that the fifth-year Utah Jazz blue-collar worker will match his 31.6 minutes per game from last season.

Yet let’s be fair to O’Neale for a second. While the 6-foot-4, 225-pound athletic small forward may not enjoy the same offensive pedigree as Gay or the same brute strength as Paschall, it’s important to note a few reasons he should earn more minutes per game than either of those Jazz newcomers:

• He’s now at what could be his peak age of 28.
• He has deep familiarity with the Jazz system after serving as a full-time starter the past two seasons.
• He has a selfless approach that Utah has come to count on, time and again, to set the tone or spark a momentum shift over the years.

Across his four seasons as a pro since going undrafted out of Baylor in 2015 and then spending a couple of years overseas, O’Neale has steadily increased his production in almost every department. He’s a testament to the franchise’s success in developing hungry prospects.

Maybe this go-round, he will further exhibit his growth by reaching or exceeding his career-high 7.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game from last season, even if he sees a minor minutes reduction.

Projected playing time for Royce O’Neale: 25 minutes per game