After an offseason full of changes that saw the Jazz trade four of their five starters — all while hiring a new head coach and bringing in 10 new players — it was only a matter of time before those starters returned to Vivint Arena with their new teams.
With Rudy Gobert, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Donovan Mitchell already making their respective returns to the snowcapped mountains of Salt Lake City, the final piece of the former starters is set to come back on Friday night.
After five years in Utah with the only team he's ever played for, Royce O'Neale returns with the Nets when the Jazz host Brooklyn. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.
After going undrafted from Baylor, O'Neale refused to waver on his NBA dream. Instead of giving up hope of playing in the NBA, O'Neale went overseas for two years — playing for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (Germany, 2015-16) and Herbalife Gran Canaria (Spain, 2016-17).
He then signed with Žalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania) but never got a chance to suit up for them. Before the 2017 season, O'Neale got his big break when he played for the Jazz summer league team, making an immediate impact the way he did in college: defense and three-point shooting.
Utah thought highly enough of O'Neale's short tenure that they signed him for the rest of the season. After two seasons coming off the bench, O'Neale became a full-time starter and never looked back. His willingness to defend the opposing team's best wing player while still being a knockdown shooter from deep made him the ideal complement to Mitchell and Mike Conley.
"I just want to thank the Jazz for giving me the opportunity and having faith in me," O'Neale said last season. "Without them, I don't know where I'd be. But because of them, I know I'm where I should be, and I'm happy to be here."
Now with Brooklyn, he's enjoying a breakout season as the team's starting shooting guard alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in the starting lineup. He's dropping career-highs in points (9.2), assists (4.1), 3P-shooting (40.1%), and minutes (34.8)
However, O'Neale won't be the only player on the court amidst breakout season.
While a lot has been written about Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson so far this season — and for a good reason — rookies Walker Kessler and Ochai Agbaji have been sensational over the past few weeks.
Ever since being inserted into the starting lineup following the ankle injury to Kelly Olynyk, the rookie has shined in nearly every facet of the game — and Wednesday was more of the same.
Being a force on both ends of the court, Kessler finished with his third straight double-double against the Clippers with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He also added three assists and two blocks, further showing his growth as a complete player.
After starting the last five games, Kessler is averaging 13.4 points (68.2% shooting), 12.8 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, and 1.8 assists in 29.7 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, Agbaji has rewarded Hardy's faith in him with a couple of breakout performances on both ends of the court.
Over the past eight games, Agbaji is averaging 7.4 points on 57.9% from beyond the arc, making the right reads on offense and knowing when to attack and when to keep the ball moving. He's also emerged defensively, using his physical attributes and athleticism to cause havoc.
"I don't look at it as you don't want them to fail. … I think you have to have the right dosage of failure, if that makes sense," Hardy said of his rookies. "You don't want a guy to continue to fail over and over and over again. … You want them to have enough success that they believe in the process of what they're doing, and they believe in those situations that we're putting them in as a staff. But failure is a big part of existing in the NBA."
STATS
Utah (24-24, 15-8 home / No. 6 Western Conference)
Offense
*117.8 Points Per Game (No. 3 in NBA)
*116.5 Offensive Rating (No. 4 in NBA)
Defense
*116.6 Points Per Game (No. 23 in NBA)
*115.1 Defensive Rating (No. 26 in NBA)
Individual
*Lauri Markkanen: 24.8 points | 8.7 rebounds | 1.8 assists | 42.3% 3P-shooting
*Jordan Clarkson: 21.0 points | 4.3 assists | 4.0 rebounds | 35.2% 3P-shooting
*Collin Sexton: 14.3 points | 2.9 assists | 2.3 rebounds | 39.1% 3P-shooting
*Malik Beasley: 13.7 points | 3.5 rebounds | 35.7% 3P-shooting
Brooklyn (27-17, 14-10 away / No. 4 Eastern Conference)
Offense
*113.5 Points Per Game (No. 16 in NBA)
*114.4 Offensive Rating (No. 9 in NBA)
Defense
*110.6 Points Per Game (No. 5 in NBA)
*111.3 Defensive Rating (No. 7 in NBA)
Individual
*Kyrie Irving: 25.8 points | 4.9 rebounds | 4.9 assists | 35.3% 3P-shooting
*Nic Claxton: 12.2 points | 8.6 rebounds | 2.7 blocks | 73.0% shooting
*TJ Warren: 10.5 points | 3.1 rebounds | 35.0% 3P-shooting
KEY MATCHUP
*Jordan Clarkson vs. Royce O’Neale
— After going head-to-head in practice over the past three years, Clarkson and O’Neale will meet again on Friday night — and in arguably the most important matchup of the game. O’Neale has emerged as a defensive stopper for the Nets, the team’s best perimeter defender. He’ll be tasked with slowing down Clarkson, who’s averaging a career-high 21.0 points per game and has been even better in January.
INJURY REPORT
Utah
OUT | Johnny Juzang (G League - Two Way)
OUT | Micah Potter (G League - Two-Way)
OUT | Kelly Olynyk (left ankle sprain)
Brooklyn
OUT | Kevin Durant
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Time: 7:00 p.m. MT
Location: Vivint Arena |Salt Lake City, UT
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: The Zone Sports Network