Timberwolves may have unexpectedly solved their massive point guard problem

The Minnesota Timberwolves fell short 108-105 against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. Despite the unfortunate result of the game, I think my lasting impression of the game will be Bones Hyland. After being out of the rotation for most of the season, Chris Finch turned to Hyland on Monday, and he provided a much-needed spark off the bench. Hyland poured in 14 points (four 3-pointers) and three assists.

Notably, Hyland accounted for all but nine of the Wolves' bench points. This begs the question, though: is this an awesome one-off game or will Bones become a mainstay of the Wolves' rotation? I expect Finch to give Hyland more opportunities, especially amid Rob Dillingham's struggles.

It's unclear if Hyland can consistently produce, but in theory, he has the exact skill set that the Wolves need. Maybe just maybe, Hyland is the solution to the Wolves' massive point guard problem.

Bones Hyland could be exactly what the Timberwolves need

With Mike Conley aging and Rob Dillingham still being too raw, the Timberwolves desperately need dependable point guard play. Likewise, the Wolves also lack bench scoring, ranking 28th in bench points per game. The Wolves were hoping that Dillingham could solve this problem, but ultimately, it might be Hyland who provides this spark.

As 6-foot-2 microwave scoring guards, the similarities between Hyland and Dillingham are clear. The former is 25, though, while the latter is 20. At this point, Hyland is better suited to contribute to winning basketball. Despite playing 78 more total minutes, Dillingham has just eight more points and two more 3-pointers than Hyland.

Hyland is a gifted shooter both off the catch and pulling up. Additionally, he can generate rim pressure at a high rate due to his dynamic ball-handling abilities. Impressively, he is shooting 68.8 percent at the rim. Bones might not be a stabilizing playmaking force, but he gives the Wolves a much-needed scoring punch.

Having this extra perimeter shot creation juice next to Anthony Edwards is a massive benefit for the Wolves. It's a small sample size (50 possessions), but the Wolves have a plus-25.6 net rating and a 144 offensive rating with Edwards and Hyland on the court per Cleaning the Glass.

While Hyland fell out of favor with the Los Angeles Clippers, which ultimately caused him to land with the Wolves on a two-way contract last year. Let us not forget, though, for the first one and a half years of his career, Hyland averaged 10.9 points with the Denver Nuggets. The former first-round pick looked like the next great bench sparkplug until being traded to LA.

Of course, consistency will be key for Bones. Nevertheless, there's a chance that the Wolves might have found their solution to their long-time fatal flaw with Hyland.