Mike Conley Jr. benched by struggling Jazz for Royce O’Neale

The Utah Jazz have lost three in a row and eight of their last 12, and that’s leading to a major change in their lineup.

The Jazz are benching starting point guard Mike Conley Jr. in favor of Royce O’Neale effective Wednesday, according to Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic.

The change is being made for multiple reasons. O’Neale is a better perimeter defender than Conley, and having him out there limits the damage opposing perimeter players can do. In addition, O’Neale allows Joe Ingles to take on a bigger role in the offense, and the team believes putting O’Neale in the starting five gives the team their most well-rounded lineup.

Conley was a huge offseason addition for the Jazz, but it hasn’t worked. The guard has averaged just 13.4 points per game, his worst mark in eight years, and a modest 4.1 assists per game.

The Jazz have slid down to the fifth spot in the Western Conference during their recent struggles. They’ll be hoping the move to go to O’Neale helps reverse course.