Brennan O’Neill has begun the 2026 season not merely as the Outlaws’ go-to shooter but as a bona fide facilitator, rewiring his role from finishing threats to primary distributor.
Numbers underline a new chapter
The fourth-year attackman has already recorded 10 assists through five games — surpassing his full-season totals of eight assists in each of his first two campaigns. League data shows he ranks among the top playmakers early in the season: fifth in assist opportunities with 25 and fourth in assist rate at 4.69% among players with at least 200 touches.
That mark represents a marked increase from a season ago, when his assist rate sat at 2.19% and ranked 24th among peers with similar touch volumes. The transformation is measurable and dramatic: O’Neill has more than doubled the percentage of touches that turn into assists.
| Metric | Previous seasons | Through five games in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Assists (season total) | 8 (each of first two seasons) | 10 |
| Assist opportunities | N/A | 25 (league rank: 5th) |
| Assist rate (>=200 touches) | 2.19% (rank: 24th) | 4.69% (rank: 4th) |
Playmaking without surrendering aggression
Importantly for the Outlaws, O’Neill’s shift to creating chances hasn’t meant he’s stopped shooting. His shot frequency has dipped only slightly as his finishing has cooled, indicating a rebalancing rather than a wholesale role change. Defences that have long keyed on his scoring gravity still bend and shift whenever he has the ball — a dynamic he now exploits to free teammates in high-leverage situations.
- Early-season leader: One of six players with double-digit assists so far.
- Strategic usage: More incisive passing from lefty wing spots, particularly skip passes to the backside.
- Team impact: His ability to draw defensive attention creates better looks for Outlaws scorers.
The evolution of O’Neill’s game is not just a statistical footnote; it alters how opponents scout Denver and how the Outlaws construct their attack. When a player with established finishing threat begins to prioritise distribution — and does so efficiently — it can ripple through an offence, creating more balanced scoring and new schematic options for coaches.
Through the first half of the season, the numbers are clear: O’Neill is becoming as dangerous playing the role of architect as he has been as the closer. If the trend holds, the Outlaws stand to benefit from a player who can both demand defensive attention and repeatedly convert that attention into high-percentage chances for his teammates.
