Golden State Warriors 2013-14 Player Grades: Jermaine O’Neal

Strengths:

O’Neal had problems staying healthy in his first season with the Dubs, but when he WAS on the court, he was a significant contributor on both ends of the floor. His lack of a jump shot made things easier for defenses, but he still averaged 7.9 points in 20.1 minutes per game on 50.4 percent shooting. He also shot 75 percent from the line, meaning he wasn’t your typical backup big who could just be fouled and sent to the line. His rebounding and block numbers (5.5 boards and 0.9 blocks per game, respectively) weren’t impressive on paper, but advanced statistics back up his positive influence on both ends of the floor.

If you extend O’Neal’s stat line to Per 36 Minutes numbers, he averaged 14.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. O’Neal was only able to play 36 minutes once this season, but those projections speak to his solid production in limited time. O’Neal had an offensive rating of 111 points per 100 possessions, the highest of his career and tied for the fourth highest on the Warriors’ roster. The defensive end is where O’Neal was at his most valuable though, posting a defensive rating of 102, good for third-best among regulars in Jackson’s rotation.

O’Neal’s Player Efficiency Rating of 15.3 indicates he’s an average player, but in today’s NBA, having an average backup center who can come off the bench, keep up the defensive intensity, challenge a few shots at the rim and pull down a few rebounds is more than enough to be useful. The Warriors are hoping Ezeli can return healthy after missing all of last season with a knee injury, but if O’Neal does return and the Dubs have to settle for him, Golden State could probably live with that.