The Phoenix Suns are about to end 2024 in much the same way they did 2023. Struggling to get above .500 and with three star players who can never seem to stay healthy and get on the court together at the same time. Luckily for the organization, they have had some role players who have exceeded expectations.
Already the most underrated and dependable player on the roster has cracked this top 10 list, but it only gets better from there. It might not seem like there's a lot to cheer for in The Valley right now - and head coach Mike Budenholzer might be under more pressure than you think - but this is still a good team with plenty of excellent players.
Royce O'Neale certainly fits that bill at number seven on our list.
It says it all that O'Neale only landed in Phoenix at the trade deadline last season, but right away had an oversized impact with this group. He came at the same time as David Roddy, a player who departed this summer and who has not been missed since. O'Neale also arrived to Grayson Allen having a career year, and yet that didn't put him off either.
He was one of the few players who stood up and was counted in the harrowing playoff sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he even started a pair of games once Allen went down with an ankle sprain. He only managed to shoot 33 percent from deep - and yet in taking 4.5 attempts each game - it was clear O'Neale was comfortable in his new surroundings.
Like Allen he inked a new deal with the organization prior to this season getting underway - and although some felt that would make him an ideal trade candidate down the road - the opposite has happened. O'Neale leapfrogging Allen in the pecking order, and making the sixth man spot his own while point guard Tyus Jones took Allen's starting gig.
This season O'Neale is having a career year from deep - much like Allen did last season - and is making 44.1 percent of them on 5.7 attempts each night. Another career high. He has also been called upon to jump into a starting role on nine occasions, and prior to the recent defeat to the Golden State Warriors, he hadn't missed a game either.
Not Royce..not like this.. pic.twitter.com/6V4wzS6gzC
— Gabe Guerrero (@GabeGuerrero03) December 29, 2024
That dependability might be about to vanish for a period of time - O'Neale exited that loss to the Warriors with an ankle sprain and was spotted in a walking boot afterwards - but if anything this could only strengthen his own case as the most indispensable role player the Suns now have. O'Neale had even chipped in defensively, although he is too small for some of the bigger wing scorers.
The only reason he didn't go any higher here is because he had less time than everybody else to make an impact in Phoenix. But what he has done in such a short amount of time has been remarkable, and it is the comfort level he has in his role around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant that has really helped the 31-year-old to settle.
When coach Budenholzer shortens his rotation for the postseason, you can bet O'Neale is going to be the first name he calls off the bench. If the roster isn't fully healthy, then he's also going to be asked to fill in for Bradley Beal and perhaps even Booker as well. Not bad for a role player the organization managed to acquire under the noses of everybody else.