Coming into the season, Bones Hyland was expected to have little impact. He barely played last season after agreeing to a two-way deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Late in this past offseason, the 25-year-old signed a veteran’s minimum deal for 1 year to little fanfare.
I would venture to say that Bones has exceeded everyone’s expectations this season. He has become a vital part of the rotation off the bench. Now, Hyland hopes to change the narrative surrounding his ability to perform well in the playoffs from earlier in his career.
The Timberwolves are Hyland’s third stop in his NBA journey. Previously, he played for the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers, two squads where he seemingly wore out his welcome.
Each of his first three years in the league, Hyland’s team reached the postseason (first with the Nuggets, next two with the Clippers). While Bones had a rotational role all three seasons, his minutes dipped in the playoffs. He barely played in the 2024 Clippers first round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Since he was on a two-way deal, Hyland wasn’t even available to play in the Wolves’ run to the conference finals in 2025. He only appeared in four regular season games after joining Minnesota prior to last year’s playoffs.
Bones is searching for a better postseason showing Â
Thus far, Hyland has appeared in 13 postseason outings in his career. The results haven’t exactly been pretty. The 6-foot-2 guard has shot 31-87 (35.6 percent) from the field and 14-48 (29.2 percent) from 3-point distance.
Other than 1 game in the 2023 playoffs in which he scored 20 points, Bones was mostly off in LA’s opening round matchup against the Phoenix Suns. The following year, he only saw garbage time in the playoffs.
Hyland is trying to enter this year's playoffs on a high note and with momentum. He is coming off a month of March, which was his most productive this season. The 2021 first-round pick averaged 11.8 points while connecting on 38.8 percent of his 3s for the month.
This season, Hyland has done a marvelous job of reviving his career. A non-productive year could have seen him struggling to find an NBA job next season. A solid postseason could even earn Bones a few more million on his next deal.
Last year, Julius Randle put an end to the narrative that he couldn't perform in the playoffs. This year, Bones is hoping to do likewise.