2022 NBA Playoffs: 5 biggest x-factors for the Western Conference

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3. Royce O’Neale

The Jazz didn’t expect to enter the playoffs as the No. 5 seed when the season began, but writing Utah off due to their uninspired regular-season play would be a mistake. Any team that has Rudy Gobert to protect the rim and Donovan Mitchell to make plays on the perimeter will be a tough out in the postseason.

The key for Quinn Snyder’s team will be to make sure their role players due enough to make sure the burden on their superstars doesn’t become overwhelming. O’Neale quietly had an excellent season for Utah out on the wing. His ability to shoot just a shade under 39 percent from behind the arc did a lot to help the Jazz’s floor balancing on a nightly basis.

O’Neale’s attempt rate of just 4 3-pointers per game is an important asterisk next to that shiny percentage from behind the arc though. He’ll need to get more shots up in the postseason and maintain that efficiency if he wants to be lauded as an x-factor for his team.

The other way O’Neale will really help the Jazz is with his stellar defense on the wing. He has the requisite size and strength to match up with big, elite wings that Utah will encounter in the playoffs. As long as he keeps shooting the ball well from 3 he’s going to be a massive two-way player for the Jazz in the postseason.

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