O'Neale signed a four-year, $44 million deal to return to the Suns in the offseason, and while he's expected to be a valuable on-court contributor for Phoenix, his role off the bench will limit his fantasy upside considerably. The Suns already feature three high-usage players in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley, meaning whoever starts in the other forward spot -- as Jusuf Nurkic is entrenched at center -- will probably be relegated to a spot-up shooting role on offense. The Suns already have one of the best long-range shooters in the league in Grayson Allen, so O'Neale, who is an above-average three-and-D player in his own range, seems set to play off the bench. Given that he's never averaged more than 9.0 points per game, nor he's made more than 39 percent of his threes in any of his previous seven seasons in the NBA, O'Neale seems to be the typical example of a player whose on-court value surpasses his fantasy upside by a sizable margin. O'Neale could still have value in deep formats, and he might be a valuable streaming alternative in case Allen or Durant are forced to miss time, but at full strength, he shouldn't carry a lot of fantasy value in most formats. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the Suns in July of 2024.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Royce Khalil O'Neal was born in Killeen, Texas in 1993. O'Neal broke out as a high school basketball player at Killeen's Harker Heights, where he averaged 16.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as a senior. That year, he led Harker Heights to a 28-6 record and a Texas 5A regional quarterfinals appearance, all while setting school records for career rebounds with 364 and recording 18 double doubles. O'Neale moved on to play the first two years of his collegiate basketball career at the University of Denver before finishing up with two more years at Baylor University. At Baylor, the general studies major was named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll in both seasons he played there. O'Neale was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team as a senior and made the Dean's List in the Spring of 2015. Since matriculating to the NBA, O'Neal has worked to spread a zest for basketball in his hometown of Killeen, and in 2019, he hosted a youth basketball camp at the Harker Heights gym. You can follow O'Neal on Twitter (@bucketsoneal00) and Instagram (@rolls_royce00). O'Neale played two seasons at Baylor after transferring from the University of Denver. He averaged 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game during the 2014-15 season. O'Neale ranked 11th in rebounds per game in the Big 12. O'Neale helped the Baylor Bears to the program's first-ever back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014 and 2015. In his first season with Baylor (2013-14), he helped lead the team to the 2014 Big 12 Tournament Championship Game, which they lost to Iowa State. The Killeen, Texas resident averaged 11 points and 9.5 rebounds in the 2014 Big 12 tournament. O'Neale played professionally in Germany and Spain following his college career before signing with the Utah Jazz in July 2017 due to a clause existing in his contract with Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas, a team that would've been his third franchise in Europe.
Sticking around in Phoenix
FPhoenix Suns
June 29, 2024
O'Neale is expected to sign a four-year, $44 million deal to return to the Suns when free agency officially opens July 6, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS The Suns acquired O'Neale on Feb. 8, and he averaged 8.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.9 steals across 25.0 minutes in 30 regular-season games for the team. The 31-year-old also shot an efficient 37.6 percent from deep in that span. Even with Phoenix fizzling out in the playoffs with a first-round exit and the team having since replaced Frank Vogel as head coach with Mike Budenholzer, O'Neale is still viewed as a core rotational piece for the club heading into 2024-25.
2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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Stat Review
How does Royce O'Neale compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
54.4%
Effective Field Goal %
53.7%
3-Point Attempt Rate
81.5%
Free Throw Rate
6.8%
Offensive Rebound %
3.4%
Defensive Rebound %
17.1%
Total Rebound %
10.1%
Assist %
15.5%
Steal %
1.2%
Block %
2.2%
Turnover %
9.7%
Usage %
0.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
19.7
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.8
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Suns Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Royce O'Neale was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Royce O'Neale See More
Alex Barutha analyzes nearly every contract signed and every trade made during the 2024 NBA free agency period.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
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2018
O'Neale has been a fantasy-relevant player in Brooklyn and Utah over the last three years, but it's hard to see that continuing. There's a logjam of wings in this Nets rotation -- Dorian Finney-Smith, Ben Simmons, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Cam Thomas and Lonnie Walker. That's quite the company to compete with, and we have to assume Johnson will steal the starting small forward job from O'Neale. What's made O'Neale such a reliable option is his role, playing at least 31 minutes a night for three straight years. There's little chance he cracks 30 minutes if this roster stays healthy, especially if he's coming off the bench. None of the statistics jump off the page for O'Neale, but his solid contributions have made him a target late in drafts. Over the last three years, O'Neale is averaging 7.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.7 threes per game. The scoring is the only real disappointment in that stat line, but playing 30-35 minutes will always keep you relevant. With the limited upside and drop in minutes, don't look for O'Neale to be a standard-league option.
Coming off his most successful fantasy season, O'Neale now finds himself in Brooklyn as a member of the Nets. Across 77 games in 2021-22, O'Neale closed as the 134th ranked player in eight-category roto thanks to per-game numbers of 7.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals. While he was technically a viable asset in standard leagues, his lack of upside meant he could frequently be found on waiver wires. He does provide a steady option on the defensive end of the floor, and for that reason, he should be able to carve out a similar role, no matter the final roster configuration. If Keven Durant is moved on, it could open up a few more minutes for O'Neale, although that would depend on who came back in the trade. For now, O'Neale can be safely avoided in competitive drafts, given that his per-36 numbers are so underwhelming.
O'Neale continued to improve upon his fantasy value in 2020-21, reaching a career-high per-game rank of 139. He started in all 71 of his appearances and averaged 7.0 points on 44/39/85 shooting, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 combined steals-plus-blocks in 31.6 minutes. He's one of the lowest-usage (9.9 percent) players in the NBA, but he's carved out a relatively traditional 3-and-D role that's allowed him to positively contribute to a great team. O'Neale's role shouldn't change in 2021-22. He'll presumably continue starting at power forward and see roughly 30 minutes per game. There's room for him to marginally increase his production if he becomes a better three-point shooter, but, ultimately, there are so many weapons around him in Utah that he has a capped ceiling. O'Neale makes sense as a late-round fantasy option in deep leagues.
O'Neale returned for his third season with Utah in 2019-20, and he played well enough to be signed to a four-year extension in January. The Baylor product saw his minutes jump from 20.4 in 2018-19 to 28.9 in 2019-20, and he averaged 6.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 triples. The playing time and statistics were all career highs for O'Neale, who provided 43/38/76 shooting splits as an accurate long-range shooter. He started all but nine regular-season games and every playoff game, but despite the ample opportunity, he wasn't a highly productive fantasy player. O'Neale is a jack-of-all-trades type who plays solid defense and is a much better real-life player than a fantasy asset. With Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic taking care of scoring and Rudy Gobert cleaning up on the glass, O'Neale's role and production will likely remain limited in 2020-21.
O'Neale returns to the Jazz in 2019-20, and he'll look to take on a larger role in his third season with the team. He made solid contributions for Utah in his second NBA season last year, proving to be a quality two-way option. His nightly minutes are likely solidified because of his solid defense, and though he averaged just 1.0 combined blocks/steals in 2018-19, that number goes up to 1.6 per 36 minutes. O'Neale finished 2018-19 with career highs in field goal percentage (47.5) and three-point percentage (38.6), while knocking down 1.5 triples per contest. He is an above-average rebounder as well, pulling down 6.8 boards per 36 minutes in his career and affording him a safe fantasy floor. He figures to be the top backup on the wing, and nightly minutes in the mid-20s wouldn't be surprising for the Baylor product. O'Neale will look to take the next step forward in his career in 2019-20 and continue his valuable play as a 3-and-D wing.
O'Neale, who went undrafted in 2015 out of Baylor, got his first taste of NBA action last season after spending two years overseas. He began earning consistent playing time in January, following Thabo Sefolosha’s knee surgery. Though O'Neale only averaged 16.7 minutes per game across his 69 appearances, he saw more than 30 minutes on six instances, averaging 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists and shooting 9-of-14 from distance in those tilts. That said, with Sefolosha returning and management drafting Grayson Allen, minutes may not be as easy to come by for O'Neale.
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Strong from deep to lead bench
FPhoenix Suns
April 20, 2024
O'Neale had 14 points (5-10 FG, 4-8 3Pt) and four rebounds in 26 minutes during Saturday's 120-95 loss to Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
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Balanced outing in starting lineup
FPhoenix Suns
April 11, 2024
O'Neale ended Wednesday's 124-108 victory over the Clippers with 15 points (6-12 FG, 3-9 3Pt), seven rebounds, five assists, one block and three steals in 33 minutes.
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Enters starting lineup
FPhoenix Suns
April 10, 2024
O'Neale will start Wednesday's game against the Clippers.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Option for New York?
FPhoenix Suns
June 13, 2024
O'Neale is mentioned as a potential candidate if the Knicks decide to add a player with their mid-level exception during free agency, Fred Katz of The Athletic speculates.
ANALYSIS The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the playoffs, but their roster could use some upgrades in a number of ways. The Knicks already have a top-notch defender on their roster in OG Anunoby, but O'Neale could fit the same role, though off the bench. A lineup with O'Neale, Josh Hart and Anunoby simultaneously would be a defensive nightmare for opposing teams. O'Neale is rumored to be close to re-signing with the Suns, however, so landing him won't be easy for New York.