ROYCE O'Neale

O'Neale played 78 games last season with Phoenix, averaging 28.4 minutes a night. He put up 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, with 1.1 steals and 0.4 blocks. He shot 42.1 percent from the field, 40.8 percent from three and 71.1 percent from the line, good for a true shooting mark of 59.6 percent. His usage rate sat at 13.9 percent, showing he was not asked to create shots so much as knock down the ones that came his way. His plus-minus for the season was -1.4. Those are the numbers Charlotte is betting on as he steps into a new role this season.

O'Neale's first stretch with the Hornets has been uneven. On October 16 against Memphis, a loss, he scored 6 points with no rebounds or assists in 18.1 minutes and a minus-5.0 plus-minus. Two nights earlier against Boston, also a loss, he had 12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 23.3 minutes, but a minus-15.0 plus-minus. Against Milwaukee on October 11, a win, he scored 9 points with 1 rebound and 1 assist in 16.8 minutes, posting a plus-19.0. On October 6 against Brooklyn, a loss, he had 3 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists in 17.0 minutes. The minutes have shifted game to game as the Hornets sort out his role.

O'Neale is not on the injury report right now. There is no injury history listed for him. For a 33-year-old in his ninth season, staying off the injury report early in the year is a positive sign for a Hornets team still figuring out its rotation. Durability matters for a veteran wing who is often tasked with matching up against multiple positions and playing heavy minutes in some games, like the 23.3 minutes he logged against Boston. So far, nothing has slowed him down physically, and Charlotte can plan around him being available as the schedule continues. Any change in his status would be the first real injury note of his time with the team.

The numbers from Phoenix last season point to a player who shoots it well from three, at 40.8 percent, and does not turn the ball over much, averaging just 1.3 turnovers a game. Translating that efficiency to Charlotte is the thing to track. His minutes have swung from 16.8 to 23.3 across his first four games, suggesting the coaching staff is still feeling out how to use him. The Milwaukee win, where he posted a plus-19.0 in 16.8 minutes, is the kind of winning-formula performance the Hornets will want more of. With a clean health report, O'Neale should keep getting opportunities to show what his track record says he can do.