If the Phoenix Suns are to make the playoffs this season, then Royce O'Neale is not going to be the first name people think of as to how they managed to get there.
Yet the 32-year-old has been the quiet veteran who to this point is tied with Oso Ighodaro for games played in 2025-26 at 58.
O'Neale gives consistency as Suns rocked by injuries
To be available every night has been exactly what Phoenix has needed as their roster has been hit hard by injuries, but it goes much deeper than that with O'Neale.
You might remember the franchise were rumored to be looking to upgrade at the power forward spot at the deadline, while they also have Isaiah Livers to call upon.
Yet the Suns stuck with what they had, with O'Neale being the starting four despite being undersized in a lot of matchups. To his credit he balances that out with shooting on the other end of the court.
Like Mark Williams once told me ... Royce O'Neale will always find him in transition pic.twitter.com/mmm5uS27Pe
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) February 21, 2026
The 39.4 percent he is averaging from deep trailing only Grayson Allen, and it has been invaluable when you consider O'Neale is also part of a team that is an impressive eighth (112.5) in defensive efficiency.
He's not the long-term solution in The Valley at this position, but no other player on the roster is challenging O'Neale for more minutes, and he is making the most of this opportunity.
Ighodaro should be growing into a bigger role in his second season, but that has not happened. Livers is the more stout defender next to O'Neale, but injuries have slowed what has been a nice bounce back season for him personally.
Which has left O'Neale all alone to battle giants each night on one end, including when he helped slow Victor Wembanyama down alongside Allen for a famous win earlier this season, while spreading the floor for Devin Booker on the other.
O'Neale was a hit with the veterans of last season when the Suns were trying to contend, slotting in seamlessly with Booker and Kevin Durant.
With the makeup of the roster changing, few felt that he had as much to give a group that was going to lose a lot of games.
Yet he has been a shining example to all players that if you show up and put in the work, you will be rewarded with playing time and a starting berth.
The Suns would not have been as successful this season if not for O'Neale, even if he's never going to get the credit he deserves for it.