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Denver Outlaws attackman Brennan O'Neill

How Brennan O’Neill’s improved passing is unlocking Outlaws’ offense

By Topher Adams | Aug 6, 2024

Brennan O’Neill is always going to be known as a goal-scorer. His ability to beat a defender and rip off a shot is arguably the best in the entire world. O’Neill leads all rookies with 16 goals (two two-pointers) and is top-10 for the entire league.

But as the No. 1 overall pick rounds into a complete and consistent offensive player, his passing is becoming a real weapon for the Denver Outlaws offense. O’Neill has eight assists this year – tied for 11th-most in the league – and his playmaking is opening up everything.

O’Neill is and should be a scorer first. His shooting is his best skill, and he gets to the goal better than anybody. But without strong playmaking instincts or passing skill, it’s easy for defenses to key in.

In recent weeks, O’Neill’s done an excellent job of using his passing to counter aggressive defenses shutting down his shot. Most of the time, it’s not a complicated pass. O’Neill simply reads a slide and moves the ball to the open man. But making these passes consistently, sharply and in the flow of the offense makes everything tick.

O’Neill’s dodging is his greatest strength. He reads defensive leverage very well and gets defenders off-balance and out of position. When O’Neill is confident, he turns these opportunities into ridiculous highlight goals or efficiently moves the ball to a teammate for an assist.

These actions only work when the other offensive players can execute, especially with their shooting. Fortunately for Denver, Graham Bundy Jr. is becoming one of the best two-point threats in the league. 

His shooting can be streaky at times, but he’s tied for the league lead in two-pointers with five and shooting 22.9% for the season. As Bundy’s grown into his role, O’Neill’s gotten more comfortable looking for his rookie teammate from long range. 

Sam Handley is another player who can be a lethal outside shooter, but he hasn’t always been able to deliver this season. In Saturday's blowout win over the California Redwoods, Handley found his confidence and looked the part of a first-round pick with All-Star potential.

The next step for O’Neill as a playmaker is opening the game with his passing. He can make the easy read when the defense slides to him, but can he find skip passes and cut through the defense with his vision?

While he might not be Jeff Teat or Asher Nolting, O’Neill is showing he has better vision than he gets credit for.

As Denver’s team offense improves – with better off-ball movement and shooting percentage – O’Neill has more options as a passer. In early offense, he’s looking for cutters to feed in front of the goal before attacking himself.

The Outlaws are a super young offense, even with the addition of Eric Law, and it’s taken time to build chemistry as a unit. With three games left in the regular season, the pieces are gelling and working together as designed.

For O’Neill, he’s in a position that allows him to do what he does best. And as the pieces around him come together, he’s added the ability to open the game with his passing, which will only make his teammates more dangerous and create more opportunities for O’Neill to score.

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