On “The Wake Up,” Alex Squadron, a former writer for SLAM Magazine, and Irv Roland, a basketball skills trainer with over 15 years of NBA experience, highlight the hoopers and stories you’re sleeping on. Follow us on Twitter.
Alex:
The Utah Jazz have three All-Stars (Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley), the leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year (Jordan Clarkson), and six players averaging double-figures in scoring (the aforementioned guys, plus Bojan Bogdanovich and Joe Ingles). This post is about none of them.
From the outside looking in—checking the occasional box score, reading the occasional article, watching the occasional highlight—the name Royce O’Neale might elude you. To be safe then, I’ll just pretend that you know very little, if anything, about Royce and lead with this: he’s a starting forward on a Jazz team that owns the best record in the NBA (31-11) and logs the second most minutes on the roster (32.4) after Mitchell. Before we get into how he’s made an impact, a quick rundown of how he got here…
Unranked nationally coming out of high school—and just 63rd in the state of Texas—Royce landed at the University of Denver in the Sun Belt Conference, where he spent two years before transferring to Baylor. He went undrafted in 2015 and journeyed overseas—to Germany first, then Spain—but remained focused on his main goal of reaching the NBA. In 2017, just prior to joining Lithuania’s BC Zalgiris Kaunas, O’Neale competed in his third NBA Summer League and impressed Utah’s front office enough to finally ink a deal. Since then, he has proven to be what the organization—what all organizations—highly covet: a reliable 3-and-D guy who knows and fills his role perfectly. The Jazz signed him to a four-year, $36 million extension in January of 2020.
Steady improvement each season, alongside many of the same teammates, has translated to more minutes for O’Neale. Now in his fourth year with the franchise, he fully grasps how to mesh with a more ball-dominant playmaker like Mitchell on offense, and a rim protector like Gobert on defense.
Let’s start with offense. Think about it this way: Royce never drives the car, but his reassuring presence in the passenger seat makes the experience way easier for the person who does. And in the case of Utah, whose offense ranks third in the league, that car is a souped-up Ferrari on a clear straightaway.
Averaging 7.5 points per game this year on 45% shooting from the field and 42% from deep, O’Neale spaces the floor for Utah’s skilled pick-and-roll players—Mitchell, Conley, Clarkson, Ingles—by spotting up on the perimeter. Of his 240 field goal attempts so far this season, 176 have been from beyond the arc; and of his 73 made threes, every single one has come off an assist. It’s all catch-and-shoot with O’Neale—no pounding the rock aimlessly or launching contested pull-up jumpers. That’s why his effective field goal percentage (60%), which adjusts for the fact that threes are worth more than twos, is so high; and why, according to NBA tracking data, he averages less than one dribble per touch. When the ball comes his way, Royce either lets it fly immediately, drives it directly to the basket or keeps it moving. Over 68% of his shots are considered “wide open” (6+ feet of room) due to the attention his teammates command, and O’Neale knocks them down efficiently.
On defense, he’s like one of those gritty, shutdown corners always tasked with shadowing the #1 wide receiver, regardless of what he may be surrendering—be it speed, size, strength or some combination. At merely 6-4, 226 pounds (though, as Irv later explains, he’s bigger than what he’s listed at), O’Neale displays incredible defensive versatility, guarding both forwards (53% of the time, per match-up data from Second Spectrum) and guards (42% of the time). The opposing team’s top scorer usually draws Royce, including guys like Brandon Ingram (several inches taller), Julius Randle (25 pounds heavier) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (a freak). Aside from sheer effort, Irv gets into how O’Neale compensates for such discrepancies below; I’ll just point out that having that responsibility on the fifth best defense in the NBA deserves more recognition. Not to mention that O’Neale excels at it: according to stats from Synergy, he held Ingram to 40% shooting, Randle to 29%, Giannis to 50% (his average is 56%), Kawhi Leonard to 39% and Jerami Grant to 42% as the primary defender.
One note on rebounding: despite being short for his position, O’Neale grabs nearly seven boards a night, and gives the Jazz second opportunities by relentlessly crashing the offensive glass. When it comes to the dirty work, his energy never lacks.
Back in February, following a win over the Pistons, point guard Mike Conley summed up Royce’s impact well: “He’s opening up his game. He’s expanding it as he grows as a player within the system of the team. He’s developed his outside shot to where teams have to close out hard on him and because of that, he’s developed a way to make plays—driving the ball, throwing lobs and making plays for guys in the corners. Just all the energy plays—the offensive rebounds. And he’s defensive activity is what he’s known for already. He’s just been growing as a player right in front of our eyes and he’s a huge piece to why we are where we are right now.”
All of that growth has happened, as Conley says, “within the system of the team.” That’s part of the reason the spotlight has evaded Royce; but it’s also the reason he’s become such a valuable piece of Utah’s success. Time to wake up.
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Q+A with O’Neale
The Wake Up: How has your role evolved during your time in Utah?
O’Neale: My role with the team has evolved tremendously, from being the last guy to make the roster my rookie year, getting minutes here and there that year, starting some games due to injuries and then starting in the playoffs and up to this day—blessings and embracing my journey. I knew I wasn’t going to be the first, second or third option; but I knew if I could find a way to play, embrace and stay in a role, why not [do that]? So I focused on becoming one of the top 3-and-D guys in the league. Each year, I earned more and more respect from coaches—guarding the best player—from my teammates and from my opponents, all because of my work ethic and wanting to star in my role and embracing it. My work ethic—I try to take advantage of every opportunity: learning, watching film, asking questions, working on my game, and trying to perfect every detail of my craft, whether it’s playing defense, becoming a better shooter, playmaking for my teammates or becoming a leader on the team. Safe to say, I earned a lot of respect from my teammates to do so and each year my role grows more and more.
The Wake Up: How has this Jazz team been the perfect fit for you?
O’Neale: I think I fit in perfectly with this team, with being able to adjust to a certain role, star in it, and make myself and my teammates better. I’m becoming a better defender, have increased my shooting percentages, trying to keep my turnovers down, putting my teammates in situations to make the game easier for them, and learning every day. I’m kind of like the glue of the team holding everybody together, pushing guys, being a leader and impacting the game every way I can. Each game, I go in with the mentality: what do I have to do for us to win and leave an impact on the game? Making plays, getting stops, leading and doing what I have to do. Our team is built together perfectly. We got guys who are bought in and know we all need each other, led by a great coach. We got superstars, defenders, playmakers, scorers—everything. And we all play the right way.
The Wake Up: How do you prepare for games defensively?
O’Neale: This year has been more of a mental approach of preparing for games than before. I dedicated myself to watching more film, trying to figure out guy’s tendencies, moves that they like making, spots they like to get to for their shots and being more aware and studying their games. Working hard and being smarter. This past offseason, I took full advantage of getting into better shape, toning my body, changing my diet, and focusing a lot on strength and conditioning, besides working on my game on the court. I’m honored and take full pride in guarding the top offensive player each game, and coach having the confidence in me to do it boosted my own confidence. I knew I was gonna have to lock in more with watching film. Before each game, my coach Lamar [Skeeter] gives me clips of who I’m gonna be guarding to help prepare as well.
The Wake Up: We’re all about getting hoop fans to “wake up”—obviously a lot of attention is given to your All-Star teammates, and rightfully so. But what do you want fans to know about you and what you bring to the team?
O’Neale: For the fans to know about me… I just want to say that no matter what you want to do in life and what dreams you have, anything is possible. I always dreamed about being in the NBA and even being here is still surreal. Never take anything for granted. I know how much time and dedication it takes to get here. Find your role on the team, whether you’re a superstar, defender, sixth man, role player—embrace it and work every day to become the best you can be without any limitations. Star in your role and embrace the grind. The best advice I was given since I’ve been in the league has been “stay the course” from my guy Lamar. There are gonna be peaks and valleys, but it’s how you handle every situation, how you better yourself, your work ethic, wanting to be the best, setting goals for yourself, and having fun with it.
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Irv:
I’ve been around hundreds of coaches at all levels of the game and have heard the phrase “BE A STAR IN YOUR ROLE” a million times. Too many young players fail to understand what exactly that means. In the game of basketball, every player has a job and the job requirement differs for each person on the roster. It’s almost impossible to have a successful squad without selfless guys that are willing to buy-in, even if that role doesn’t result in them receiving the notoriety.
Working with younger players, I always find myself mentioning guys like Royce O’Neale. I’m older so a lot of this new slang is foreign to me but I get bothered when I hear guys say they “started from the bottom” (idk if y’all still use that) or “got it out the mud,” when in actuality they were All-Americans at every level and first-round draft picks. Not to say that it was easy for them, but their path wasn’t the same as Royce’s.
By now we know about Royce’s route to the league—let’s take a deeper dive into how he’s stuck and how he’s been able to cement his spot as a starter for a true contender. In 2017, when Royce made the roster, he struggled to earn minutes behind guys like Rodney Hood, Joe Johnson, Alec Burks and Mitchell, but because of injuries and trades he was able to see around 16 minutes a night and was even able to start four games.
Having already spent a couple seasons overseas, it was time to lock in on what he had to do to not only stay in the NBA, but become one of the best 3-and-D’s in the league. Every summer since he’s been on the Jazz, he’s attacked the offseason hard and taken that momentum into the next season, seeing his minutes go from 16 to 20 to 28 to now 32 minutes a night. Although the other names are the ones on the headlines, this first place Jazz team wouldn’t be where it is without Royce’s ability to not only stretch the floor, but also be a pest on the defensive end.
Too many times when players come into the league or are being evaluated, we focus too hard on what we think they can’t do. O’Neale isn’t an ISO guy that is getting 20 attempts a night, but a guy like him allows those ISO players the freedom to play with the basketball because his defender can’t venture too far away from him. Because the Jazz have been able to keep most of their core together during Royce’s tenure in Utah, their chemistry has only grown over the past four years. His feel playing off the ball when guys like Mitchell or Joe Ingles have the rock has given them the ability to kind of play the game within the game. Coaches don’t want to have to call plays down the floor every time down. They want to give their players the freedom to just hoop! Because these guys have played together so long, they now have an ability to just read each other without saying anything and it’s turned into a beautiful brand of basketball.
Now in year four, Royce is shooting 42% from three on four attempts a night, which he credits to his work this offseason, getting in hundreds of game-speed reps of the shots that he gets within his team’s offense. After shooting around 35% his first season, this big jump has allowed the Jazz stars even more room to operate.
As a skills development coach, I’m always intrigued with how players come back each season and how they’ve improved. I’m never one to put players in a box but there is a fine line between adding to your game and working on things that will be unrealistic for your situation. What Royce has done from year to year is focus on what he was already solid at and push towards being great. Once just a guy that Coach Quin would throw in to slow guys down, now Royce has become a guy that can really take star players out of rhythm. His attention to detail has allowed him to take his hours of film study and apply it to his defense. Listed around 6-4, Royce is actually closer to 6-6 with a 6-10 wingspan that allows him to be very disruptive.
Because of his size, deceptive strength and fluid athleticism, he’s able to cover a variety of offensive stars from Giannis to Julius Randle. O’Neale has quick enough feet to stay in front of guys like Giannis or even Kemba (see below), while also possessing the strength to not allow a bigger player like Randle to bully him to the basket. Because of his film study, he’s learned how and when these guys like to attack, as well as what angles they’re best at.
Being able to communicate is huge as well. Having an elite shot blocker in Gobert allows Royce the confidence to know he has help at the rim. But that doesn’t mean he can give up straight line drives. His trust with Rudy helps him to know where to send guys that will in turn yield lower percentage shots.
Having worked with Royce, I know how much he puts into his craft. It’s been exciting to see how he’s evolved as a shot-maker and high level defender. Looking forward to seeing this Jazz team make a big run and Royce will be a big part of that as he continues to make fans WAKE UP!
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Also, don’t sleep on…
-The Hawks. Since the All-Star break, Atlanta has gone 6-1 to jump to the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, despite not having De’Andre Hunter.
-Chris Paul’s place in the history books. He just became the sixth player in NBA history to register 10,000 career assists (John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Mark Jackson, Magic Johnson) and will soon hit 20,000 points as well.
-The rookie class. All top three picks have shown flashes of greatness, with Anthony Edwards exploding for a career-high 42 points on Thursday (becoming the third youngest player ever to drop 40 in a game) and LaMelo averaging 19.5 points, 6.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds as a starter before fracturing his wrist. Guys like Tyrese Haliburton, Immanuel Quickley, Jae'Sean Tate, Patrick Williams, Desmond Bane, Saddiq Bey and more rooks have impressed as well.
-The absurd amount of triple-doubles we’re seeing. Last week, an NBA-record six different players had a triple-double in the same night (James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Nikola Jokic, Ben Simmons, Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis). John Wall got his first one since 2016 on Monday (19 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists), as the Rockets ended their losing streak. We’ve seen 95 total triple-doubles so far this season, led by Westbrook’s 14.
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Slept-on “On This Date”
March 23, 2012: Timberwolves big man Kevin Love dropped 51 points in a 149-140 overtime loss to the Thunder. Westbrook, KD and Harden combined to score 110.
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RIP to NBA legend Elgin Baylor.
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Videos via Spectrum. Logo by Oliver Baltay.
Wow, so good! So long, and with such a good story. I like how you put
"The rookie class. All top three picks have shown flashes of greatness, with Anthony Edwards exploding for a career-high 42 points on Thursday (becoming the third youngest player ever to drop 40 in a game) and LaMelo averaging 19.5 points, 6.2 assists and 5.8 rebounds as a starter"
You've only been out 22 days and have already put out a great story! I hope to see more!