Suns' Royce O'Neale: Strong from deep to lead bench
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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.
O'Neale led the Suns in threes made while pacing Phoenix's bench in scoring and ending as one of four players with a double-digit point total in a postseason defeat. O'Neale connected on four or more threes in 13 games during the regular season, nine of which came off the bench. He concluded the regular season schedule with 10 or more points in two of his final four contests.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Shifts to bench
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O'Neale will come off the bench Friday night against the Kings, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
O'Neale drew a start at small forward Wednesday over Grayson Allen as the team experimented with a new lineup, but O'Neale will head back to the bench for Friday's clash. The Baylor product has shown that he can produce off the bench, collecting 10 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes Tuesday as a reserve.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Balanced outing in starting lineup
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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.
O'Neale got the starting nod Wednesday, replacing Grayson Allen in the lineup while ending as one of four Suns players to tally 15 or more points while swiping a team-high trio of steals in a balanced performance. O'Neale, who also connected on a trio of threes, has posted at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in two games this year -- this being his first while in the starting lineup.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Enters starting lineup
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O'Neale will start Wednesday's game against the Clippers.
O'Neale will surprisingly replace Grayson Allen in the starting lineup for Wednesday's tilt. With Allen still healthy, Neale likely won't see a minutes load in the mid-to-upper 30s, but he should still provide some fantasy value. In 13 starts this season, O'Neale is averaging 9.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 combined steals-plus-blocks.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Returns to bench
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O'Neale will come off the bench in Friday's game against the Timberwolves.
O'Neale is coming off a spot start, but Grayson Allen (hip) will be back in action. As a result, O'Neale will come off the bench. He is averaging 7.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists across 23.0 minutes as a reserve this season.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Set to start Wednesday
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O'Neale is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Cavaliers, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
O'Neale will replace Grayson Allen (hip) in the starting five Wednesday. O'Neale is averaging 9.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 32.2 minutes across his last 10 starting appearances.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Available to play Thursday
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O'Neale (shoulder) will be available to play Thursday against the Hawks.
O'Neale will continue to power through the shoulder issue, but it did limit him to just 10 minutes his last time out, so he's a risky target in most formats.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Questionable for Thursday
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O'Neale is questionable for Thursday's game against Atlanta due to a right shoulder contusion, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
O'Neale fell on his shoulder in Wednesday's win over Philadelphia and played just 10 minutes. While he downplayed the severity of the injury after the game, it's unclear whether he'll be available for the second half of the back-to-back set.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Finds shooting stroke late
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O'Neale registered 16 points (6-12 FG, 4-9 3Pt), five rebounds and three assists across 26 minutes during Sunday's 140-129 loss to the Bucks.
From Feb. 25 through March 7, O'Neale started five of six games and averaged 13.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in 34.2 minutes. He also shot 43.5 percent from deep (20-for-46). However, he couldn't get anything to go for the next four games, averaging just 2.0 points while shooting 15.0 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from deep. It was more of the same to start Sunday's contest, but O'Neale found his three-point stroke in the fourth, sinking four of five triples while playing nearly the entire quarter.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Moves to bench
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O'Neale is coming off the bench for Monday's game against the Cavaliers.
O'Neale will return to his usual bench role following the return of Devin Booker from an ankle injury. O'Neale fared well in his last contest as a reserve, putting up 20 points to go along with 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 27 minutes Mar. 2 against the Rockets.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Low total as fill-in
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O'Neale produced nine points (3-10 FG, 3-8 3Pt), three rebounds, four assists and two blocks over 33 minutes during Sunday's 118-110 loss to the Thunder.
O'Neale took over for Devin Booker (ankle) in the starting lineup and didn't do much with his opportunity. Eric Gordon ended up as the better fit for the backcourt, but O'Neale's defensive skills were helpful on the wing. Booker will be out for at least a week, so O'Neale may have some streaming value if he remains in the starting lineup.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Starting sans Booker
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O'Neale will start Sunday's game against the Thunder, Gerald Bourguet of GoPHNX.com reports.
O'Neale will return to the starting lineup for the third time in the last four games, this time due to Devin Booker (ankle) being out. In those two previous starts, O'Neale averaged 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks in 37.0 minutes per game.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Gains clearance for Sunday
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O'Neale doesn't appear on the Suns' injury report ahead of Sunday's game against the Thunder after he appeared to tweak his left ankle late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 118-109 loss to the Rockets, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
O'Neale looked to be limping around after teammate Devin Booker sprained his right ankle when he collided with O'Neale on a defensive possession with less than two minutes remaining. Booker limped to the sideline and checked out of the game at the next dead ball, while O'Neale -- who also seemed to be limping -- stayed in the contest until head coach Frank Vogel cleared the bench with 1:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. Booker will be sidelined for the second leg of the back-to-back set due to his ankle sprain, but O'Neale's apparent ankle injury won't be significant enough to keep him off the floor. O'Neale should be primed for an elevated role once again after averaging 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 4.3 three-pointers, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 33.7 minutes over his last three contests.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Moves to bench
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O'Neale will come off the bench for Saturday's game against the Rockets.
Bradley Beal is back in the lineup Saturday, so this is an expected move. Eric Gordon (groin) is out, however, so it's likely that O'Neale will maintain a significant role.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Stuffs stat sheet in starting role
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O'Neale finished with 11 points (3-10 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, seven assists, one block and three steals across 37 minutes during Thursday's 110-105 win over the Rockets.
O'Neale didn't have his best scoring performance but still salvaged his fantasy day with an outstanding stat line that featured multiple contributions in four of the major five categories. O'Neale is not going to carry the team on offense, but he will remain valuable as long as he can make threes and contribute defensively.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Posts 20-10 double-double in start
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O'Neale ended with 20 points (7-12 FG, 6-10 3Pt), 10 rebounds, four assists, one block and two steals across 37 minutes during Sunday's 123-113 victory over the Lakers.
O'Neale got his first start with Phoenix due to the absences of Bradley Beal (hamstring) and Eric Gordon (groin), connecting on a team-high-tying mark from three and ending as one of two Suns with 10 or more rebounds in a double-double outing. O'Neale posted his third game of the season with at least 10 rebounds, his first outing with at least 20 points and 10 boards.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Starting Sunday
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O'Neale will start Sunday's game against the Lakers, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com reports.
With Bradley Beal (hamstring) and Eric Gordon (groin) out, O'Neale will make his first start with the Suns. He made six starts for the Nets earlier in the campaign, averaging 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals-plus-blocks in 30.5 minutes during those contests.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Near double-double Thursday
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O'Neale logged 10 points (4-12 FG, 2-8 3Pt), nine rebounds, two assists and one steal in 30 minutes during Thursday's 123-113 loss to the Mavericks.
It was the veteran forward's best performance in four games with the Suns since being acquired from the Nets at the trade deadline. O'Neale is seeing a significant role in the frontcourt, averaging 28.0 minutes across the last three contests after needing a game to get acclimated to his new team, and he's averaged 9.3 points, 6.7 boards, 3.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.3 threes.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Good to go for Saturday
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O'Neale (trade pending) will be available for Saturday's game against Golden State.
The Suns acquired O'Neale at the trade deadline, and he figures to play a key role in the second unit. In Brooklyn, O'Neale produced averages of 7.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.0 three-pointers in 24.5 minutes.
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Suns' Royce O'Neale: Headed to Phoenix
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The Suns acquired O'Neale and David Roddy on Thursday in a three-team deal that sent Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin and three second-round picks to the Nets and Yuta Watanabe and Chimezie Metu to the Grizzlies, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
With the addition of Thaddeus Young, Brooklyn's forward rotation had become too clogged, so O'Neale's departure makes sense. The veteran forward is averaging 7.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 24.5 minutes across 49 appearances in 2023-24. In Phoenix, O'Neale will likely provide much-needed spacing and perimeter defense off the bench to support the team's big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
