A lot can change in year — just ask Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale. Last October, he was a virtual unknown battling Joel Bolomboy for the 15th and final spot on Utah’s opening night roster. 12 months later, O’Neale has a burgeoning reputation as one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders.
He hits our ongoing preseason player rankings at No. 8, and I may be underrating him. On a team that prides itself in smothering opponents, few players consistently put the clamps down like O’Neale.
Last season, the Jazz allowed just 96.8 points per 100 possessions when O’Neale was on the court.