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Shark wrote:Very awkward. Just gave up a valuable asset for what should have been a glue guy on a contending team.

KD35Netted wrote:

Shark wrote:Very awkward. Just gave up a valuable asset for what should have been a glue guy on a contending team.

We don't know the details of who is coming back in return. Simmons and Irving are not players that are on a rebuilding team.

Paradise wrote:

KD35Netted wrote:

Shark wrote:Very awkward. Just gave up a valuable asset for what should have been a glue guy on a contending team.

We don't know the details of who is coming back in return. Simmons and Irving are not players that are on a rebuilding team.

No guarantee we are rebuilding we can recoup enough talent to still be a win now team. It’s either a massive haul of picks and players or a superstar in return.

Paradise wrote:

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Karate Diop wrote:He's 29... You have to think this was agreed to with the thought KD was staying and there was then no time to back out when the bomb dropped...

At least that's what I keep telling myself to make it make sense

O’Neale’s utility on the defensive side of the ball is not only by far the best on the team - his adaptability on that end of the floor rates him as one of the most versatile defenders in the league today. Per crafted nba, his “versatility” rating is 76 (0-100 scale), comparable with players like Robert Covington (71), Draymond Green (75), and Mikal Bridges (77).

It’s one thing to be tasked with guarding four different positions regularly. It’s another thing to grab that assignment and spike it into the ground like Gronk at the Super Bowl.

O’Neale currently ranks in the top 20 in a number of advanced metrics, including Defensive Win Shares (10th, 3rd among non-bigs behind only LeBron and Giannis), Box Score RAPTOR (T-11th, T-2nd among non-bigs, minimum 600 minutes played), Defensive Box Plus-Minus (17th, T-7th among non-bigs), and Defensive Real Plus-Minus (20th overall, 9th among wings). And he’s done all of this without accumulating many counting stats on the defensive end (such as steals and blocks).

Without steals and blocks, how is Royce grading out so well in these areas? Take a look at his field goal differential numbers below, and that should give you some idea. (Note: FG differential or “diff%” is an estimate of a defender’s impact on a shot attempt. Negative numbers are better here.)

O’Neale is posting negative field goal differentials in every. single. category. It doesn’t matter where on the court O’Neale is guarding the shooter, he’s going to disrupt the shot attempt.

Although he’s listed as a SF/PF, he clocks in at just 6’4” (6’9” wingspan) and 226 pounds. In forward matchups he’s at a disadvantage of either a few inches or 10-20 pounds (or both!), and in guard matchups he’s usually at a quickness disadvantage compared to his opponent.

O’Neale makes up for it with strength, lightning-quick and active hands, excellent footwork, and an aptitude for navigating around screens. He also has fantastic recovery speed, contests vertically when protecting the rim, and closes out well on shooters.

BostonCouchGM wrote:First reaction was wtf is Marks doing? Then I thought about it and it's making more sense. Whether you have Kyrie and KD or not, you have a bunch of shooters who can't play defense. Between Simmons, O'Neal and Edwards you have that somewhat covered. If Kyrie and KD stay and are healthy you have the talent to make the Finals and a pretty well-constructed roster. If they're replaced then you're plugging the new players into a system with shooters and defenders around whoever it is.