The Phoenix Suns rolled to their third straight win with a 126-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, the latest reminder that there is no ceiling on how good this group can be.
Even without Devin Booker and with Jalen Green again coming back from a setback to the hamstring issues that have bothered him all season, Phoenix simply had too much for a legitimate contender.
Royce O'Neale playing his part in these crucial wins
One player who is not going to get a lot of the plaudits for the victory is Royce O'Neale, with rumors in recent days suggesting the Suns would be open to upgrading the power forward position at the deadline.
If you read between the lines on what that means, O'Neale isn't viewed as a long-term solution for the franchise as they look to get back to contending ahead of schedule.
For this Suns team, it's always about defense to offense.
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) January 30, 2026
Dillon Brooks with an incredible stop as the low-man in help position, and it leads to a Royce O'Neale 3 pic.twitter.com/6GDvExhLXB
At 32-years-old and with a couple of years left on a team friendly contract it is not hard to see why, but O'Neale is making the Suns realize they are perhaps being too quick to cast him loose.
He has been one of the steadiest performers for the team all season, rarely the standout player but also never the weak link in any lineup he is a part of.
He started (as he so often does) in the win versus Cleveland, with all 12 of his points coming from beyond the arc. That is a level of productivity you're not getting out of every stretch four.
Defensively he's never going to be known as a bully or even somebody who can mask some of his shortcomings with athleticism like Grayson Allen. Yet head coach Jordan Ott continues to trust him to guard bigger and better opponents when it matters most.
This is a top 10 defense and O'Neale has played his part, rarely being exposed and even having a highlight earlier in the campaign when he was matched up with Victor Wembanyama.
Coach Ott's tactic that night of putting both him and Allen on "Wemby" led to a signature win over the San Antonio Spurs, and in truth he has never looked back.
Let's not forget O'Neale was also a nice fit alongside Kevin Durant when he was in town, and he also finds it easier to get a rhythm going off the bench than Allen based on what we've seen before.
We know O'Neale is not somebody who will be in town for as long as it takes the Suns to get back to where they want to be. But he sure is playing like the most underrated guy on the roster this season.
Enjoy this while it lasts, and stop trying to force a trade and change up the chemistry by moving O'Neale on when it is not necessary.