Here’s the 2022-23 season review for Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale.
The 2022-23 season was an interesting one for the Brooklyn Nets. In a season that started with championship expectations, the Nets’ season ended with just trying to hold on to a playoff spot after trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to end the superstar experiment once and for all.
At one point, Brooklyn was regarded as one of the main contenders in the Eastern Conference with Durant and Irving leading the way. Once the trade deadline came and went, the Nets had a completely different team led by budding star wing Mikal Bridges.
Not to mention, Brooklyn went through a coaching change after Steve Nash was fired following a 2-5 start to this season. Jacque Vaughn is now the head man of a team that is currently in flux thanks to the trades of Durant and Irving. While the offseason is still fresh, it’s a good time to review all of the Nets who played this season starting with: forward Royce O’Neale.
Bleacher Report lists Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale as a possible option for the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason.
At the moment, the Philadelphia 76ers have much more important matters to attend to. They are in the midst of a playoff run and are in an excellent position to come out of the Eastern Conference.
However, it doesn’t hurt to explore possible offseason additions to the roster. Bleacher Report put together a list of dream trade targets for each team. For the Sixers, it listed Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale as an option:
The Sixers need more reliable role players, particularly the ones who contribute both ways.
Royce O’Neale fits that bucket. Though a touch undersized for a three-and-D wing (Basketball Reference lists him at 6’4″), he still handles that role with relative ease. He is a disruptive defender on and off the ball, and his three-point shots have found their mark 38.4 percent of the time over his six-year career.
The Sixers brought in Jalen McDaniels in a four-team deal at the deadline in February. While he has been helpful, he is set to enter free agency after the season. If the Sixers can’t retain McDaniels, they will need a suitable replacement. That is where O’Neale comes in.
O’Neale struggled against the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs. He shot 18.2% from deep in the series, but he shot 38.9% from deep on the season. Philadelphia could use somebody like him. His contract expires after the 2023-24 season as well, so he is an interesting option.
Here’s how some of the players on the Brooklyn Nets would like to improve during this offseason.
The Brooklyn Nets had a 2022-23 season that was eventful to say the least when compared to most teams in the NBA. Brooklyn started the season with championship expectations because of the team being led by superstars in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but they ended the season wondering if they are competitive in the Eastern Conference playoff picture as is.
Considering the circumstances, the Nets had a successful campaign. Despite getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn had to overcome a lot to get to the sixth seed in the East. The season started off shaky as they fired incumbent head coach Steve Nash after beginning the season with a 2-5 record.
Jacque Vaughn took over as the interim head coach and eventually, he became the permanent head coach and subsequently received an contract extension. Brooklyn went 43-32 under Vaughn, but at one point, the team was 27-13 while playing high-level basketball.
After the February trade deadline, the team went 12-15, but that was understandable given that Durant and Irving were no longer part of the organization. However, throughout the season, the team saw growth in players like Nic Claxton and found gems in guys like Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. Here’s what some of the players would like to improve on for next season:
The Nets are believed to be trading Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O’Neale, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
The Brooklyn Nets are expected to trade Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O’Neale because of how much wing depth they have, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. While the Nets have a lot of wings on the team, Scotto notes that NBA executives believe that Brooklyn is not trading Mikal Bridges under any circumstances.
It will be an interesting offseason for Brooklyn for many reasons including how the team decides to retool for next season. One of the curious aspects of the organization after trading superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving was how wing heavy the squad. While that level of depth on the wing gave the Nets more versatility than most teams, it was evident that the team lacked quality guard depth and frontcourt depth at the same time.
Nets general manager Sean Marks noted during his exit interview on Sunday that Brooklyn needs to get bigger in the frontcourt if it wants to be competitive with the better teams in the Eastern Conference. The Nets could start their journey towards balancing the team by trading Finney-Smith and/or O’Neale. HoopsHype has more:
“‘The Nets have cornered the market on 3-and-D wings,’ an NBA executive told HoopsHype.
During a frantic trade deadline following the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade, the Nets fielded trade interest in several of their wing players, including Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale.
Ahead of the trade deadline, Brooklyn had offers to flip Finney-Smith for two first-round picks and could’ve gotten a first-round pick in exchange for O’Neale, league sources told HoopsHype.
While many rival executives around the league are convinced Bridges isn’t going anywhere, there’s a belief the Nets could break up their surplus of wing depth and trade either Finney-Smith or O’Neale. Various teams around the league, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, are expected to pursue potential 3-and-D wings this summer.”
Royce O’Neale said that part of his growth from this season was being able to adjust to changes within the team.
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.”
Royce O’Neale said that doing whatever the team needs from him is ‘who he is’.
Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale has been through a lot of different scenarios during his first season with the franchise. He went from being a starter during the part of the season that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were on the team to being a backup after the two superstars were traded.
However, in Wednesday’s 123-108 win over the Detroit Pistons, O’Neale had to deal with a different situation once again. O’Neale was named the starter right before tipoff because starting forward Dorian Finney-Smith was ruled out prior to the start of the game because of a nagging wrist injury. O’Neale had to find a way to shift his mindset in a matter of minutes.
He played admirably as he dropped 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 shooting from three-point land and also picked up seven rebounds, eight assists, and two blocks. O’Neale did everything that he was asked to do and more trying to fill the void of Finney-Smith. O’Neale was a pivotal piece in Brooklyn’s win and he spoke after the game about his mindset coming into the contest:
“Right before the game (when he found out that he was starting). I mean, I always say, whether I’m starting or coming off the bench, you know, my game’s not going to change. Do whatever I have to do to impact the game for us to win. Whether play-making, scoring, just playing defense, anything. So I mean, starting or not, that’s who I am.”
Royce O’Neale says that the Nets can compete with anybody and that he always reminds his teammates about that.
NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale is one of the veteran presences on the team despite being in his first season with the organization. However, having been through many playoff battles as a member of the Utah Jazz, O’Neale knows a competitive team when he sees one. He feels that way about this Nets squad.
“After a couple of losses, you know, guys can get down,” O’Neale said after having 12 points and eight rebounds in Thursday’s 116-114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. “We know we can compete with anybody. My mindset was just, we got to take it a notch harder, pick up our pace, the way we played, our aggression, and then just stick with it.”
Even though Brooklyn lost their home-and-home series to Cleveland (and the sixth seed), they battled one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in an impressive fashion. For all intents and purposes, the Nets were second away from upsetting the Cavaliers and unfortunately, a few bounces didn’t go their way.
Royce O’Neale believes that the Nets can rebound better than they have recently.
NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale has been in the NBA long enough to know what a team is capable of. In his mind, the Nets are capable of competing with teams on the glass, even if they’re a bigger team like the Denver Nuggets.
“I know we’re capable of doing it,” O’Neale said after Sunday’s 108-102 loss to Denver. The Nuggets out-rebounded the Nets 40-33 in the game and even though Brooklyn had more offensive rebounds then Denver (9-6), it was still evident that Denver’s size posed issues for Brooklyn on the glass.
“I think just everybody paying a little bit more attention to detail to helping Nic (Claxton) out, especially when we go small,” O’Neale said after scoring seven points and grabbing three rebounds in the losing effort. Even though Denver center Nikola Jokic could win his third MVP award, it’s important to note that the Nets struggle with bigs like him because they have no one who can match a combination is height and size. Perhaps Moses Brown, who did not play, could help. Either way, the Nets may have to get creative with how they rebound the basketball if they want to win games.
Royce O’Neale gives his teammates props for rebounding as a team to limit the impact of Rudy Gobert.
Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale has had to adapt to a lot of different roles depending on the situation ever since the NBA trade deadline essentially relegated him to the bench. Most of the time, O’Neale has to fill in as a pseudo-big whenever Nic Claxton gets into foul trouble or when head coach Jacque Vaughn decides to play small.
In Friday’s 124-123 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, O’Neale had 12 points and 15 rebounds as he had to help Claxton deal with the likes of Rudy Gobert in the paint. Even with Claxton on the floor, the Nets still lack a big who has the size of a player like Gobert so anytime the team faces someone like him, it is a tough task.
That is why it’s important for Brooklyn to rebound as a unit to make up for the lack of size. The Nets did that after the first quarter as three different player had more than right rebounds and O’Neale did the most on the inside to help out Claxton. O’Neale also brought some value to the table by still being a threat from three-point land and he was able to push the ball in transition whenever Brooklyn had a numbers advantage. O’Neale reacted to the team rebounding together as a collective unit:
“You know, everybody’s being collective rebounding, coming together. I mean, playing small ball, we know, it’s gonna take all of us and we were lucky that was good enough to get all those rebounds.”
Royce O’Neale gave the bench credit for bringing their A-game in Tuesday’s win over the Houston Rockets.
Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale has been one of the players that have had to accept a bench role for Brooklyn after the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades. However, instead of putting his head down, O’Neale has embraced his role off the bench as a shooter and defender and he has fulfilled that role perfectly.
In Tuesday’s 118-96 win over the Houston Rockets, O’Neale had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals as he was able to contribute in multiple ways for Brooklyn. His rebounding was pivotal in this game as he had to help with the rebounding since Nic Claxton and Nerlens Noel got into foul trouble early in the game. O’Neale also had one of his better shooting games as he went 2-of-4 from three-point land.
O’Neale essentially played starter’s minutes in this game as he played the second-most minutes for the Nets at 33. He was also +21 because of how good he was on both ends of the floor. O’Neale was a big part of a Nets bench that was incredible on Tuesday. He spoke on what the bench brought to the table for Brooklyn:
“Yeah, I mean, you know, we, as a bench coming off, we just wanted to bring a lot of energy, especially on the defensive end, help each other out. You know, like, led us to easy fast break points. And you know, we executed and, you know, built the lead from there.”
