SALT LAKE CITY — Becoming an NBA player was not an easy or typical journey for Utah Jazz small forward Royce O’Neale.

O’Neale did not have the luxury of being a one-and-done lottery prospect; he was an anomaly, spending four years in college. O’Neale spent his first two seasons with the University of Denver before transferring to Baylor University.

While at Baylor, O’Neale began showcasing his ability to help teams win games.

“What I loved about him is that he had a great feel for the game. He was extremely competitive and had a toughness that allowed you to win basketball games,” said Baylor associate head coach and former assistant Jerome Tang.

Tang’s favorite memory of O’Neale came during the Maui Classic against the physical play of the University of Dayton.

“We put Royce in the game, and he gets a big offensive rebound put-back. And then on the next possession, he gets a deflection, a steal and an and one, and it changed the entire game for us,” Tang said. “We became the tougher team. We ended up winning the game on an offensive rebound put-back at the end of it.

“That to me," he continued, "summed up what this dude is all about — just a winner, and willing to do whatever it takes to help your team win.”

Not only was O’Neale tough while at Baylor, he was also a player who enhanced others' games.

“He’s going to keep the ball moving, the ball doesn’t stick with him," Tang said. "He makes everybody else around him better, and then when he needs to he can rise up and hit a three."

After college life

After finishing the 2014-15 season with Baylor, O’Neale declared for the NBA draft. But he would go undrafted and elected to play in Europe for two seasons rather than go to NBA training camps or play in what is now known as the NBA G-League.

O'Neale would spend his first season with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in Germany and the second with Herbalife Gran Canaria in Spain.

“I had opportunities to go to training camps and stuff like that, but overseas, I had some good offers,” O’Neale said. “I just felt like it was going to be a different culture, experience and also a great opportunity for me, especially first year out, playing in the big leagues.”

It was an opportunity and culture that O’Neale embraced. Herbalife Gran Canaria general manager Berdi Pérez said that the cultural change and the transition to European basketball was not a problem for O’Neale.

“It was very easy because he’s a very smart person, a very intelligent person,” Pérez said. “He facilitates all the stats. It’s maybe difficult for a lot of American players to come to Europe first or second experience, but for Royce the privilege is mine.”

Pérez said his favorite memory of O’Neale was what he brought to the table every day.

“The day-by-day of Royce, he’s always competing; in every practice, in every game, he gave everything, minute by minute,” Pérez said. “And always he is smiling, always he is smiling; he likes work, he likes practice, he likes games, he likes winning, that is incredible for a player in basketball.”

O’Neale’s numbers overseas were not breathtaking, but Pérez said that O’Neale’s impact and contribution cannot be measured by stats.

“He gave a lot of things that don’t appear in the stats — intangibles.” said Pérez, who signed O’Neale last season. “He’s an all-around player — rebounds, defense, assists, shooting; he can do everything on the court.”

After O’Neale’s strong finish with Herbalife Gran Canaria, he played in the 2017 Las Vegas summer league with the New Orleans Pelicans. At the conclusion of the summer league, O’Neale received a call from the Jazz.

“I was actually leaving summer league about to go home, and then I got a phone call from my agent and then Quin (Snyder), saying that I was going to be a part of the team,” O’Neale said.

O’Neale said he played with his regular tenacity and hustle rather than trying to do something he was not used to in order to make the roster.

“I knew I was going to have to come in and work for a spot, and then be myself — don’t try to go out of character, do what got me here,” he said.

O’Neale made the final roster and has been a bright spot for the Jazz in his first season. An assortment of injuries to several key players and the recent trade of Joe Johnson and Rodney Hood have given O’Neale the opportunity to receive a major rise in minutes as of late.

This rise in minutes has been one of the catalysts to Utah’s current 11-game winning streak. He has been able to help the Jazz with his versatility, and his energy and unselfish play has become infectious with the team.

With the rise of small-ball and the faster-paced NBA game today, O’Neale’s skill set has become especially valuable to the Jazz.

“With all the 3-point shooting and getting up and down, and guys who can play multiple positions, he’s perfect for it (the NBA game today),” Tang said.

At 6-foot-6, O’Neale has the ability to guard positions one-four, which makes switching and defensive assignments much easier for the Jazz while he is on the court.

Where it all began

O’Neale began developing the skills necessary to excel in today’s modern perimeter-based game as a kid in Killeen, Texas.

“It was an important part for me to also know how to dribble, and shooting was a big emphasis,” O’Neale said.

This ability to handle the ball translated to college and to his professional game.

“What’s great about Royce is that when he’s on the floor you always have a second point guard, regardless of what position you put him at,” Tang said.

O’Neale’s versatility kept NBA teams interested in him, and after going undrafted, O’Neale still always believed that he would make it to the NBA.

“I just always kept the dream, and I always had teams follow me,” O’Neale said.

O’Neale and the Jazz are on the rise as of late. O’Neale’s perseverance and fortitude were not in vain. He has become an integral part of the surging Jazz. He has played major minutes in every game during the 11-game winning streak. He has also started in the last three games, averaging nearly 36 minutes a night.

O’Neale has been great in an assortment of ways, whether it’s scoring 19 points against Phoenix, grabbing 11 boards and six assists against the Blazers, playing perfect defense in the closing seconds against the Spurs or stealing a pass and finishing a breakaway dunk with a trailing Manu Ginobili.

O’Neale really has done it all.

His path to the NBA was not conventional or easy, but it’s become a path of success. It looks like O’Neale is the perfect fit for this Jazz team and it looks like his NBA career is just beginning.

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