The Utah Jazz need Royce O’Neale to get selfish behind the 3-point line

Royce O’Neale has proven he can shoot consistently from deep for the Utah Jazz. The only problem? He’s not shooting enough — it’s time to get selfish.

“Elite” might seem a bit hyperbolic when describing Royce O’Neale’s 3-point shooting, but earlier this year, that’s exactly what it was for the Utah Jazz — elite. The dude couldn’t miss, shooting a combined 45 percent from deep in the months of October, November and December.

And while anybody can get hot for a limited period of time, before the NBA’s COVID-induced hiatus, O’Neale’s 3-point numbers were still impressive with him shooting 38.9 percent from distance on a mere 3.3 attempts per game. Combine that with O’Neale being Quin Snyder’s best perimeter defender, and it’s easy to see why he’s one of the top “3-and-D” guys in the NBA.

Yet, outside of Jazz fans, Salt Lake City and random circles of NBA “smart guys,” nobody really seems to know all that much about him …

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And it makes sense — when you think of 3-and-D guys, the same names come to mind every single time: Paul George, Klay Thompson, Marcus Smart, Robert Covington, Danny Green, etc.

These are all household names, and for good reason: occasionally, thanks to the “three” side of things, they’ll go off for 25 or 35-plus points — that’s not the case with O’Neale’s game. In fact, to date, his career-high in scoring is a measly 19 points he nabbed during his rookie campaign.

This year, his best scoring performance came in early March against the Toronto Raptors — he “went off” (so to speak) for 15 points and seven rebounds, going 6-of-11 from the floor in the process. Furthermore, this season, he’s reached double-digit scoring only 13 times in 64 appearances.

What’s most maddening about O’Neale’s scoring, however, is that he can shoot — it’s almost like he’s choosing not to. Undoubtedly, high-usage teammates like Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanović limit his touches, but there’s plenty of room for improvement.

Sure, some might look at the 3.3 3-point attempts per game and see consistency or a high hooping IQ, but keep in mind that this Jazz team not only just lost Bogey to season-ending surgery on his right wrist, but Joe Ingles is having his worst scoring season in four years.

If the Jazz, a franchise in desperate need of good news, are going to make any kind of noise in the playoffs, O’Neale needs to get selfish on offense — most notably from 3-point territory.

In January, the Jazz signed O’Neale to a four-year, $36 million extension — not bad for a guy who went undrafted out of Baylor back in 2015. Justin Zanik and Dennis Lindsey clearly believe O’Neale is a part of their franchise’s future. Now, his 3-point shooting needs to prove it …

Prior to the NBA’s shutdown, at 38.3 percent, the Utah Jazz were tied with the Miami Heat for the best 3-point shooting percentage in the league. Regardless of when the season returns, if that’s to continue, O’Neale can’t merely swing the ball around the 3-point line on the offensive end …

The ball stops with you, Royce — shoot it.