Royce O’Neale continued to prove that he is an X-Factor for the Jazz

After struggling to get anything going in 37 minutes on the floor in Game 1’s loss to the Grizzlies, Royce O’Neale has looked great the rest of the way in this series so far and is one of the biggest, not talked about reasons why the Jazz are up 3-1 on the Grizzlies. 

Since Game 1, O’Neale has averaged 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds on 61.1% shooting from three-point range, including 9 points and 9 rebounds in Game 4’s victory. All season long, Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson and Rudy Gobert have been in the spotlight for the Jazz, but O’Neale is the guy that does all of the “dirty work” for this team. 

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Not only is he a great defensive player given his length and athleticism to guard multiple positions, but he is a very underrated three-point shooter. He shot 38.5% from three-point range on the season and is not a high-volume scorer, but O’Neale plays his role perfectly for this Jazz team. 

Mitchell, Clarkson and Gobert are going to have to be great for the Jazz moving forward if they want to win the Western Conference and make their first NBA Finals appearance since 1998, but Royce O’Neale is going to be one of the biggest reasons they potentially get there. 

Every team has role players that they need to step up in big moments and O’Neale is this guy for the Jazz. Whether it is playing great defense or knocking down a clutch corner shot, the Jazz believe in his abilities and as a result, Royce O’Neale is one of the most important players on this team.