On Sunday, the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off one of their more impressive wins of the season by beating 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-2 guard notched 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field -- Hyland's 18 points made him the Wolves' third-highest leading scorer.
This game broke Hyland out of a five-game skid where he was averaging just 2.8 points on 25 percent shooting from the field. Furthermore, Hyland, having one of his best performances of the season against his former team, feels poetic. Back in 2021, the Nuggets selected him with the No. 26 pick. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers partway 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 the move 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 guy." As such, it's obvious the Nuggets didn't believe in Hyland's long-term NBA outlook, especially on a winning team.
Three years later, though, Hyland has rejuvenated his career with the Timberwolves, and he just reminded the Nuggets that he can be a high-impact player on a winning team after all.
Hyland has turned around his career this season
After not playing much on the Clippers, Hyland found his way to the Wolves on a two-way contract last season. In the offseason, Hyland earned the Wolves' final roster spot, and since December, he's been a vital part of the rotation.
The irony is that former Nuggets GM Tim Connelly gave Hyland another chance -- and this decision paid off.
Minnesota's lack of guard depth and bench scoring has (rightfully) been discussed all season long. Nevertheless, Hyland has helped negate these concerns to some level. He gives the Wolves some much-needed extra pace and shot creation juice as a microwave scorer. This skill set also makes Bones an ideal fit with Anthony Edwards.
There is perhaps no better example of how Hyland positively impacts the Wolves than during Sunday's game against the Nuggets. When he entered the game, the Wolves were down by nine points; they looked sluggish and out of sync. Bones immediately changed this, quickly scoring 13 points and helping the Wolves tie up the game.
Undoubtedly, winning this game would have been far more challenging had it not been for Hyland's ability to provide an insant spark early on.
While the Nuggets have a new coaching staff and front office since Hyland was there, it's sure seemed like playing against his former team gave him some extra motivation.