<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-tyus-jones-royce-oneale-identify-issues-hurting-skid');   ga('set', 'title', 'Tyus Jones, Royce O’Neale identify issues hurting Suns amid skid');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Suns-Tyus-Jones-Royce-ONeale-identify-issues-hurting-Phoenix-amid-skid.jpg"></figure><h1>Tyus Jones, Royce O’Neale identify issues hurting Suns amid skid</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-10T22:42:28-08:00">December 10th, 10:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-10T22:42:28-08:00">December 10th, 10:42pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Phoenix Suns are amid a three-game losing skid, and it hasn’t been encouraging for some to see. Regardless, point guard Tyus Jones and forward Royce O’Neale have a different outlook on their losing streak. Both players spoke after Tuesday’s practice and explained what <a href="https://x.com/PHNX_Suns/status/1866589691333554342" rel="noopener">they believe the underlying issue is</a>.</p><p>“We’re not playing a complete 48 minutes,” Jones said via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. “I think we’re playing well enough to win, but we’re not playing a full 48. We have stretches throughout the game where we get careless. Too many turnovers and not getting the stops that we need.</p><p>“If we can kind of eliminate those stretches, then it’ll help the other parts of the game. We’re playing well, we’re generating good shots, we’re connected on defense. Now, it’s just about putting together longer stretches of good basketball.”</p><p>The Suns have put together solid stretches during the season, most notably at the beginning. For instance, they began the campaign with a 9-2 record. Although those 11 games were with Kevin Durant, it’s been a story with him out. He’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kevin-durant-injury-return-target-date">missed the past three Suns games with an ankle injury</a>. While Durant has a target return date, it hasn’t prevented Phoenix from making mistakes throughout these games.</p><p>In every game, they had the lead in the second half. Unlike the first 11 games, they weren’t able to sustain the lead. The first game against the New Orleans Pelicans was the exception to the rule. Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram caught fire and scored 21 points in the third quarter. That catapulted the rest of the team to score. However, the last two games could have been key wins for the Suns.</p><h2><b>Tyus Jones and Royce O’Neale have benefited the Suns during this stretch</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Tyus-Jones-dribbling.jpg"><figcaption>© Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Luckily, both <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-resilient-mindset-full-effect-four-game-skid">Jones and O’Neale have performed well and risen to the occasion for Phoenix</a>. Still, the loss doesn’t come as a result of one or two players. Although Bradley Beal and Devin Booker haven’t performed like their fellow teammates during this stretch, it’s unfair to place all the blame on them.</p><p>For instance, the point guard is averaging 15.7 points and 5.3 assists a night on 47.8 percent shooting from deep. O’Neale has been a monster, averaging 19.3 points per game over this stretch. Not to mention, he’s shooting an absurd 58.8 percent from the floor and 63.6 percent from three.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-unheralded-bench-player-drops-career-high-loss-vs-heat">O’Neale even dropped a career-high 23 points</a> against the Miami Heat on Saturday. Regardless, those two have done what they can, but it isn’t enough. Jones echoed a calm sentiment despite the current Suns skid.</p><p>“This road trip was tough because we felt like we played overall pretty well,” Jones said. “We were competing, we were together. We just had stretches where we didn’t make shots, or we let the defensive pressure kind of get to us and turn the ball over too many times. There are things like that, but we just have to learn from it. Stay with it; it’s a long season. It’s just room to grow.”</p><p>Jones is right. Phoenix has only played 23 games so far, which is a little more than a quarter of the season. Still, after starting with a 9-2 record, the Suns have fallen pretty far. Without Durant, the team simply looks lost. With either Friday or Sunday set to be Durant’s return, the Suns have time before their next game. As O’Neale mentioned to AZCentral’s Duane Rankin, the team is <a href="https://x.com/DuaneRankin/status/1866581471231684747" rel="noopener">picking apart components from each game</a> as to why they lost.<br><br>“I think it’s different things throughout each game,” O’Neale said. “It’s different stretches of the game where maybe we had a bad stretch of how the other team went on the run or us having a couple of costing turnovers or simply us just missing shots. We’re doing all the right things, making the right plays. It’s just about sticking with them.”</p><p>When KD is on the floor, they’re <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/suns-record-with-durant-this-season" rel="noopener">11-2 on the season</a>. The shortcomings aren’t reflective of Durant, but they play a key component. Jones and O’Neale have done all they can to step up to the plate. However, getting back to the basics and playing a consistent 48 minutes, with or without Durant, will prove crucial in the thick of the Suns season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Tyus Jones, Royce O’Neale identify issues hurting Suns amid skid

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-what-phoenix-truly-feels-royce-oneale-career-night');   ga('set', 'title', 'What the Suns truly feel about Royce O’Neale after career night');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Suns-news-What-Phoenix-truly-feels-about-Royce-ONeale-after-career-night.jpg"></figure><h1>What the Suns truly feel about Royce O’Neale after career night</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-02T18:53:17-07:00">November 2nd, 6:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-02T18:53:17-07:00">November 2nd, 6:53pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Amidst the Phoenix Suns’ comeback win against the Los Angeles Clippers, forward Royce O’Neale had himself a career night. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-royce-oneal-44-million-contract-free-agency">O’Neale signed a $44 million contract</a> in the offseason, he’s been worth every penny. Although consistent scoring was always a question, those uncertainties were put to rest on Thursday. He scored 21 points, seven rebounds, one assist, steal, and block. Not to mention, he shot 7-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 from three. </p><p>While O’Neale is known as a hustle player, he can fill up the stat sheet, especially this season. Whether it’s rebounding, moving the ball, or draining shots, he can be someone who helps Phoenix win games. As the team traveled back to Phoenix, they had a light shootaround on Friday. O’Neale spoke to reporters about the moment he realized he was going to eclipse his career high.</p><p>“I know I had like 20 a bunch of times before. And then I had 19 and then when I got fouled, I said, ‘Okay, make the first free throw.’ And then that second one I was like, ‘Just don’t miss.’”</p><p>Luckily, O’Neale didn’t miss and secured his 21st point of the evening. He gained the attention of basketball fans, and specifically Suns fans. This performance highlights the Suns’ depth, especially last season. Former Phoenix head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-frank-vogel-royce-o-neale-trade-deadline">Frank Vogel said he wanted to implement O’Neale in small-ball lineups</a>.</p><h2><b>Suns’ teammates aren’t surprised at Royce O’Neale’s career night</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Royce-ONeale-career-night-sparked-the-Suns-comeback-win.jpg"><figcaption>© Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Even now, head coach Mike Budenholzer implemented a similar strategy so far. He’s put O’Neale in at the power forward and small forward spots. He’s been <a href="https://arizonasports.com/story/3562021/phoenix-suns-small-lineup-nba/" rel="noopener">playing the power forward sporadically</a> and has thrived. However, this wasn’t much of a surprise for his superstar teammate, Kevin Durant. He said via AZCentral’s Duane Rankin after Thursday’s game that O’Neale is <a href="https://x.com/DuaneRankin/status/1852232001438249309" rel="noopener">taking huge strides</a> in his career.</p><p>“I think Royce is at the point of his career now he’s taking that next step as a player,” Durant said. “You get the ultimate confidence and confidence in the organization, coaches, and teammates. Then the work that you put in, all season, throughout the season, starts to show up.</p><p>“He’s stepped it up a notch, he stepped up a level as an individual player and he’s adding that to the team as a collective. Get his career-high scoring, he’s blocking shots, he’s throwing one through five, he’s making plays, passing the ball. I’m super impressed with what he’s doing and I know he’s going to keep it up, just keep grinding.”</p><p>Pacing the sidelines was Budenholzer, who rode the hot hand the entire second half. O’Neale <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/onealro01.html" rel="noopener">played a season-high 29 minutes</a> in the comeback victory. With the standout performance, even Budenholzer was shocked that he never scored more than 20 points in a game.</p><p>“For that to be his career high last night, I agree, a little bit of a surprise,” Budenholzer said. “But…coaches trust him, teammates trust him. He makes winning plays, and I think that’s why we went out and got him last year.”</p><p>The Suns have a key piece of their roster for the next four seasons. His tenacity, grit, and shot-making could be decisive going forward. They’ll take on the Portland Trail Blazers and start a three-game homestand. Hopefully, Phoenix can have O’Neale’s magic translate over to their fourth-straight win.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

What the Suns truly feel about Royce O’Neale after career night

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-royce-oneal-44-million-contract-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns’ Royce O’Neale on verge of $44 million contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Suns-news-Royce-ONeale-on-verge-of-x-million-contract.jpg"></figure><h1>Suns’ Royce O’Neale on verge of $44 million contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-06-29T11:02:35-07:00">June 29th, 11:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-06-29T11:02:35-07:00">June 29th, 11:02am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Royce O’Neale and the Phoenix Suns are set to agree to a <a href="https://x.com/wojespn/status/1807106767806947589" rel="noopener">four-year, $44 million contract</a> with the start of free agency just days away, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.</p><p>“O’Neale’s agents Mark Bartelstein and George Roussaskis of Priority Sports have been negotiating on the contract for months and now land a key part of Suns’ rotation a new long-term deal,” reported the NBA insider. “O’Neale arrived in a deadline trade with the Nets.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Royce O’Neale plans on signing a new 4-year, $44 million deal with the Suns, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wojespn</a>. <a href="https://t.co/XxZFBLfnD1">pic.twitter.com/XxZFBLfnD1</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints NBA (@ClutchPointsNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsNBA/status/1807107337507008545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>As a result of the NBA’s new early negotiation window for teams and their own free agents, O’Neale and the Suns were able to avoid the complications of free agency altogether with this new four-year deal. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-royce-oneale-nets-grizzlies-multi-team-deal">O’Neale was traded to Phoenix</a> ahead of the trade deadline by the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team deal that sent a 2026 first-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies and three second-round picks from the Suns to the Nets. Former Grizzlies first-round pick David Roddy also landed in Phoenix as a result of this trade.</p><p>O’Neale, 31, formed a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-royce-o-neale-grade-expectations-phoenix-frank-vogel-kevin-durant">strong bond with superstar forward Kevin Durant</a> during their time with the Nets during the 2022-23 season. With the veteran forward on the trade block and the Suns in need of an experienced forward who could stretch the floor and provide toughness on defense, O’Neale was a match made in heaven for Phoenix.</p><h2><b>Royce O’Neale’s impact with Suns</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Royce-ONeale-and-Kevin-Durant.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>In a total of 30 games with the Suns, eight of which he started, O’Neale averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 37.6 percent from the floor. O’Neale’s 59 total threes in his two months with the Suns ranked third on the team behind only Grayson Allen (87) and Durant (65) from the moment of his arrival.</p><p>There is no denying that the Suns traded for O’Neale with the intention of re-signing him this offseason. Despite having one more year left on his contract at the time of the trade, Phoenix understood that the veteran was going to be an integral part of their rotation.</p><p>For years, O’Neale has been known for being one of the best “glue guys” in the NBA. Essentially, he holds his teams together with all the little things he can accomplish on the court. Aside from his shooting and rebounding abilities, O’Neale has always been known to be an above-average defender who can virtually guard any position. That is why he is such a valuable player for the Suns to have.</p><p>After locking O’Neale up on a new contract, the Suns’ payroll now exceeds $220 million, giving them the league’s highest tax bill for the 2024-25 season. Owner Mat Ishbia is not afraid to spend money if it puts his team in a better position to win a championship, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-suns-set-re-sign-key-player-4-year-contract">keeping O’Neale</a> was an essential part of the organization’s championship equation.</p><p>Assuming they do not make any drastic moves in the offseason to trade Jusuf Nurkic, the Suns will head into the new season with the same starting group that won a total of 49 games during the regular season this past year. The major difference is that instead of having O’Neale for two months to finish the season, new head coach Mike Budenholzer will be able to turn to the veteran right away for production in the frontcourt.</p><p>The bottom line is that O’Neale impacts winning. The Suns went 18-12 with O’Neale on the court, and his +139 plus-minus was the highest on the team since his arrival on February 10. With the two sides sharing mutual interest in a new deal, they were able to come to terms on an agreement before his unrestricted free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns’ Royce O’Neale on verge of $44 million contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-breaks-silence-block-royce-oneale-shot-suns');   ga('set', 'title', 'Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla breaks silence on why he tried to block Royce O’Neale’s shot vs Suns');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-explains-why-he-run-tried-to-block-royce-oneales-shot-vs-suns.jpg"></figure><h1>Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla breaks silence on why he tried to block Royce O’Neale’s shot vs Suns</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-03-14T20:19:21-07:00">March 14th, 8:19pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-03-14T20:19:21-07:00">March 14th, 8:19pm</time><address><a>Daniel Donabedian</a>Daniel Donabedian is a beat reporter for ClutchPoints covering the Boston Celtics. He's also covered Villanova men's basketball and Big East basketball, building a strong reputation in the northeast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Boston Celtics head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-joe-mazzulla-fires-back-at-jayson-tatum-criticism-with-tyrese-maxey-callout" rel="noopener">Joe Mazzulla expects a lot</a> from his players, but he wouldn’t ask them to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. On Thursday night, during a primetime matchup between the Celtics and Phoenix Suns, forward Royce O’Neale went to shoot after a timeout late in the fourth quarter.</p><p>Mazzulla didn’t let him get the shot off cleanly though, as he actually went out on the court to contest.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Joe Mazzulla went on the court to play a bit of defense 😂<a href="https://t.co/a1FpMKD3EJ">pic.twitter.com/a1FpMKD3EJ</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1768453935608598804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>O’Neale was desperate for any kind of make since he was a brutal 0-for-7 on the evening. But, Mazzulla was determined to not let him find his rhythm because <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredWeissNBA/status/1768455290637238583">that’s the mindset</a> he wants from his players, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.</p><p>“I saw a guy going in to try and get a shot and he hadn’t made one and I didn’t want him to feel good about himself going to the bench,” he said. “If I’m gonna ask the guys to contest, staff’s gotta do the same.”</p><p>Mazzulla has been adamant about contesting after stoppages all season, and while it seemed to work on O’Neale, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-jayson-tatum-receives-legendary-kevin-durant-praise-ahead-suns-rematch" rel="noopener">Celtics were on fire</a> regardless. Boston shot 52.8% from the field and stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 63 points during the 127-112 win.</p><p>This was the Celtics’ second victory against the Suns in the last week, and they achieved them both without center Kristaps Porzingis. Although Phoenix’s three-headed monster of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker was healthy and had 65 points altogether, the Suns still couldn’t stop Boston’s 3-point attack.</p><p>With the Celtics’ double-digit win and the Milwaukee Bucks’ 114-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston has officially clinched a playoff berth for the 10th straight season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Boston Celtics have punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs for the 10th straight season 👊</p><p>Will Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Joe Mazzulla get it done this year? 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/Z0lT5x7aeY">pic.twitter.com/Z0lT5x7aeY</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1768465729471275079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>A title hasn’t been brought back to Beantown by the C’s in over 15 years, but the 2023-24 Green Team hopes to change that. At 52-14 overall, Boston will aim to close out the regular season strong and enter the playoffs with momentum and health.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla breaks silence on why he tried to block Royce O’Neale’s shot vs Suns

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/suns-news-royce-o-neale-grade-expectations-phoenix-frank-vogel-kevin-durant');   ga('set', 'title', 'Suns: Royce O’Neale’s true feelings on trade deadline move, expectations for seventh-year defensive-minded wing for Phoenix');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/royce-3.webp"></figure><h1>Suns: Royce O’Neale’s true feelings on trade deadline move, expectations for seventh-year defensive-minded wing for Phoenix</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-02-14T07:14:06-08:00">February 14th, 7:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-02-14T07:14:06-08:00">February 14th, 7:14am</time><address><a>Trevor Booth</a>Trevor Booth is a beat writer covering the Phoenix Suns, in addition to working as an associate editor. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports journalism from Arizona State University in 2021. Booth is passionate about his faith, video games, sports with friends and making the most of his time with his girlfriend when he's not working.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Royce O’Neale <a href="https://twitter.com/TrevorMBooth/status/1756074508681896326" rel="noopener">has a move</a> he calls his “special talent.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Royce on the ball fake. Says it’s his “little special talent.” <a href="https://t.co/DEuZcsI9ra">pic.twitter.com/DEuZcsI9ra</a></p><p>— Trevor Booth (@TrevorMBooth) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrevorMBooth/status/1757607344878600656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>O’Neale, who is in his seventh season in the NBA, has a ball-fake that he uses to juke closeout defenders, before side-stepping into his 3-point shot.</p><p>“It gets me a lot of open threes, (and) drives for my teammates,” O’Neale said.</p><p>O’Neale is someone who will shoot plenty of threes next to the Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.</p><p>O’Neale is also a 29-game playoff starter, which will help him be a big factor with the Suns.</p><p>What did O’Neale say about coming to Phoenix, which has top scorers Booker and Beal at guard, where he could be a factor as a defensive-minded player?</p><p>“I’m just glad I ain’t got to guard them no more,” O’Neale said. “Just seeing the way their game evolved over the years, and then now being able to learn from them, being cool with them throughout the time in the NBA.”</p><p>Here is a summary of his game, including a grade for the Suns’ trade. Phoenix dealt three second-round picks and forwards Keita Bates-Diop and Chimezie Metu, for O’Neale. The Suns also traded a pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies along with Yuta Watanabe and Jordan Goodwin for David Roddy.</p><p>Tuesday, the Suns <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/suns-news-thad-young-buyout-woj-espn-phoenix" rel="noopener">signed</a> wing Thaddeus Young, a 6-foot-8 big, off the buyout market.</p><h2>Strengths</h2><p>O’Neale is someone who spent time with the Utah Jazz following an impressive 2017 summer league run. Utah finished with the best four-game season record, earning O’Neale a three-year contract.</p><p>O’Neale will not take for granted his NBA career. A former college player at Denver, he earned his way to the Baylor men’s basketball team and earned All-WAC third-team honors in his first year.</p><p>Much like former Suns guard Cameron Payne, O’Neale is someone who has an edge. O’Neale started his pro career overseas and later earned his spot with the Utah Jazz.</p><p>“It meant a lot,” O’Neale said of his confidence and approach. “It was one of the setting stones, bringing that overseas international game here, learning more team concepts, different rules and incorporating it into the game I have now.”</p><p>O’Neale has a bit of a rhythm jumper. Because he is so accustomed to creating space with the ball fake, his release can go through a circle rotation, which can each accelerate or force defenders to strip his shot.</p><p>O’Neale’s defense is a staple of his. He has a 6-foot-9 wingspan and is physical with opposing players.</p><p>The 6-foot-4 wing has both guard Clippers guard Paul George and forward Paul George — who he has held to five and 18 points at different points in his career — and has also played next to Kevin Durant in lineups, which should give the Suns some defensive continuity, according to Phoenix gm James Jones.</p><p>“He’s fearless,” Jones said. “That’s what this is about. We’re going into a Western Conference playoff race that is daunting. But it’s fun. And if you’re a competitor, you look forward to it. And lucky for us, we’ve been able to add a guy in Royce who looks forward to that challenge.”</p><p>O’Neale has had to approach the game in a consistent manner to stay in the league. Now that he is in the playoffs, he is looking to bring some of that chip from his early career to the Suns.</p><h2>Approach</h2><p>O’Neale is someone who is going to factor into the Suns’ rotation. However, it remains to be seen how often he will be used in varying combinations of small-ball rotations. O’Neale has familiarity with Durant, so it makes sense he would be paired with the 7-footer in a potential starting lineup with Booker, Beal and center Jusuf Nurkic.</p><p>The Suns’ defense is rated No. 15, or right in the middle, on defense. Phoenix is going to have some small-ball rotations since it is not possible to acquire another capable big on the buyout market it can afford. The Suns will hope Nurkic, who has been the team’s most stable and consistent player from a minute and health standpoint, can stay healthy.</p><p>O’Neale can be used at the three now that the Suns have Young, who can play the four or the five. Young is someone who can post up, so the Suns will be more athletic with one of those two or both on the floor.</p><p>Phoenix is looking to win its first-ever championship. O’Neale, who has guarded some of the best West players, will be relied on to be physical and play at his best.</p><h2>Expectations</h2><p>Here are O’Neale’s advanced stats from Bball Index.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/player-card-player-11.png"></figure><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/player-card-player-12.png"></figure><p>O’Neale is a positive contributor, given he closed the Suns’ game against the Kings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Suns: Royce O’Neale’s true feelings on trade deadline move, expectations for seventh-year defensive-minded wing for Phoenix

Kent Bazemore

Jonas Valančiūnas

Cody Zeller

Chris Boucher

Royce O'Neale

Kelly Olynyk

Wendell Carter Jr.

Marquese Chriss

Meyers Leonard

Greg Monroe

Utah Jazz

Brooklyn Nets

Phoenix Suns

2 seasons

1 season

Career

5 seasons

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1633902272613855233/

Jalen going wild right now @BaylorMBB @jalenbridgess 🤝🏾

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1631882705318150147/

Great team win 🤞🏾💫   Stay the course

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1623565839814258693/

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1623184450501718018/

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1623184160679403522/

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1623183706893479939/

Bron really finna break this record 
Crazyyyy

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1622439566408880129/

Legendary performance right there 😮‍💨

https://twitter.com/BucketsONeale00/status/1622438200856793089/

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
10.9	5.7	2.3	0.5	0.9

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
10.9	5.7	2.3	0.5	0.9

Royce
O'Neale

Latest Royce O'Neale News

Tyus Jones, Royce O’Neale identify issues hurting Suns amid skid

What the Suns truly feel about Royce O’Neale after career night

Suns’ Royce O’Neale on verge of $44 million contract

Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla breaks silence on why he tried to block Royce O’Neale’s shot vs Suns

Suns: Royce O’Neale’s true feelings on trade deadline move, expectations for seventh-year defensive-minded wing for Phoenix

Latest Royce O'Neale Tweets