Nets’ Royce O’Neale Says He Learned How To Adjust After This Season

Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale had a solid season for Brooklyn in his first season with the franchise after being acquired in the offseason from the Utah Jazz for a first-round pick. O’Neale came to the Nets heralded as a 3-and-D player archetype and while he played that role as expected for Brooklyn, he showed that he could be a threat handling the basketball as well.

O’Neale averaged more points per game (8.8) and more assists per game (3.7) than he did in any other season of his six-year career and that was with his role changing after the trade deadline. Before the franchise-altering trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, O’Neale had started every game that he played in. Once the four players acquired in the trade, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Dorian Finney-Smith, were with the team and able to play, O’Neale was moved to a bench role.

Despite the role change, O’Neale still provided the shooting that Brooklyn came to rely on from him, but he embraced his role as the sixth-man off the bench. He finished the season providing a spark in his reserve role as he served as a knock-down shooter along with an uncanny ability to set up teammates for easy baskets as well as being able to provide highlight plays in transition. O’Neale said during his exit interview on Sunday that one thing he learned from this season was being able to adjust to whatever happens:

“I mean, just for myself, anyway I can, you know, help the team win, I’m gonna do. I think being able to adjust and, you know, expand my game was, you know, a great thing. You know, being in the situation I was, you know, a lot of responsibility, I think it took a lot of growth, just overall and then just, you know, keep getting better on that.”