I think everyone was shocked when Bones Hyland checked into Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns — at least I was. However, should this have been a surprise? Probably not. The Minnesota Timberwolves have struggled to find quality point guard play all season long. Rob Dillingham has struggled mightily in his second year, and Mike Conley looks over the hill at 38.
Hyland thrived in his 15:47 minutes, pouring in 14 points (four 3-pointers) and three assists. He was so good that Finch even played him for 6:52 minutes in the fourth quarter. While the Wolves ultimately lost by three points, Hyland was a clear bright spot, and this game could change the course of Minnesota's season. After the game, head coach Chris Finch said it was time to try something different.
Chris Finch on playing Bones Hyland off the bench tonight over other options
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) December 9, 2025
“Yeah I mean listen, i thought we were 24 games in and it was time to try something different. He’s been patient and has been playing really well in practice, doing everything that we asked him to do” pic.twitter.com/OxIxF9Mqm4
Typically, I don't like to overreact to one game. Nevertheless, with such a strong performance, this could be a turning point for the Wolves' rotation.
Of course, winning is always the main focus. However, my read on Finch's comments is that the Wolves were trying to focus on development in the first 23 games and are now 100 percent prioritizing winning, even if that hurts some of the young players. Using this first portion of the season as a trial of sorts makes sense, but amid a 15-9 start, it's time to solely focus on winning. I wouldn't be surprised if Terrence Shannon Jr. also sees a reduced role at some point.
Winning is the sole focus for the rest of the Timberwolves' season
Frankly, I think Finch has always wanted to play Hyland over Dillingham. During the very beginning of the season, Hyland played over him. Given that the Wolves traded two first-round picks to draft Dillingham and Minnesota's need for a point guard, Finch had to give him a chance.
The reality is, though, that Hyland is better equipped to contribute to winning basketball. The two players are nearly identical archetypes as small microwave guards, but Hyland is five years older. Hyland's four 3-pointers on Monday nearly matched Dillingham's total of six 3s on the season in over 200 minutes.
At some point, it's hard to justify playing a 6-foot-2 guard who is averaging 3.7 points with a 38.2 effective field goal percentage.
Not only does Hyland's emergence put Dillingham's spot in the rotation, but if he keeps it up, Conley's minutes could take a hit as well. Conley won't fall out of the rotation like Dillingham, but a reduction from his 19.1 minutes is possible. Honestly, most Wolves fans would welcome this change and have been advocating for Conley's minutes to be reduced. It wasn't feasible with how Dillingham was performing, but if Bones can keep up this production, it certainly is.
While it remains to be seen if Hyland can consistently perform at a high level, if he can, though, expect it to have massive ripple effects for the Wolves.
The larger point is that Finch's decision to play Hyland significant minutes signals a larger change; from this point forward, it's all about winning for the Timberwolves.