On Sunday, the Minnesota Timberwolves earned one of their most impressive wins of the season by defeating the Denver Nuggets 117-108. There were plenty of positive things to note, but one thing that stood out was Bones Hyland’s production. The 6-foot-1 guard scored 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field — Hyland’s 18 points made him the Wolves’ third-highest scorer.
This game snapped Hyland out of a five-game skid in which he averaged just 2.8 points on 25 percent shooting from the field. Plus, after one of his best performances of the season against his former team, Hyland feels poetic. In 2021, the Nuggets selected him with pick No. 26. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers midway through his second season after falling out of favor in Michael Malone’s rotation. Hyland also wanted to be traded due to a declining role.
The Nuggets only received two second-round picks in exchange for Hyland, so it was more about getting rid of him than getting any significant value back. Hyland’s lack of defense and attitude were concerns for the Nuggets, with former general manager Calvin Booth labeling him as ‘a me-man’. As such, it’s clear that the Nuggets didn’t believe in Hyland’s long-term NBA prospects, especially on a winning team.
But three years later, Hyland has revived his career with the Timberwolves, and he just reminded the Nuggets that he can still be a high-impact player on a winning team.
Hyland has turned his career around this season
After not playing much with the Clippers, Hyland found his way to the Wolves last season on a two-way contract. This offseason, Hyland earned the Wolves’ final roster spot and has been a vital part of the rotation since December.
The irony is that former Nuggets GM Tim Connelly gave Hyland another chance – and the decision paid off.
Minnesota’s lack of guard depth and bench scoring has been (rightly) discussed all season. Nevertheless, Hyland has helped alleviate these concerns to some extent. He gives the Wolves some much-needed extra pace and shot-creation juice as a microwave scorer. These skills also make Bones an ideal fit for Anthony Edwards.
There may be no better example of Hyland having a positive impact on the Wolves than during Sunday’s game against the Nuggets. When he entered the game, the Wolves trailed by nine points; they looked slow and out of sync. Bones immediately changed this, quickly scoring 13 points and helping the Wolves tie the game.
Arguably, winning this game would have been much more challenging had Hyland not provided an immediate spark early on.
Although the Nuggets have a new coaching staff and front office since Hyland arrived, it seemed like playing against his former team gave him some extra motivation.
#Bones #Hyland #delivered #ultimate #revenge #game