A lot of the noise surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves is about how top-heavy their new-look roster is, and on the surface, you can't blame the people saying that. But the Wolves' depth is actually a very underrated part of their team, built on players who play hard with a chip on their shoulder.
At the forefront of this notion is Bones Hyland. Similar to Nickeil Alexander-Walker a few years back, Hyland resurrected his career under Chris Finch in Minnesota. He went from having one foot out of the league to playing an important backup point guard role off the bench.
With Naz Reid gone now, the bench scoring will need to come more consistently from different guys. If Hyland is up for the task, which I think he will be, he'll play a huge role in any success the Wolves have going forward.
Bones Hyland will have the reins as the bench's primary scorer and initiator
While throughout the team, the ball will likely be in one of Anthony Edwards' or LaMelo Ball's hands way more often than not, the Wolves still need a third guy capable of creating offense for both himself and others in the event that either of the two stars misses some time.
Hyland showed last year that with his electric pace of play and his much-improved 3-point shooting, he can be a guy who takes on those responsibilities. With the bench having a lot of off-ball players such as Josh Green, Jaylen Clark, Trey Lyles, and Joan Beringer, it will be Hyland's task to get them involved in the offense.
He and Terrence Shannon can be an alternate version of the "Twin Turbos," a nickname given to the bench duo of Hyland and Ayo Dosunmu last season due to the sheer speed the two would play at when they shared the court.
With Dosunmu likely starting unless the Wolves pull off a Jonathan Kuminga signing, Shannon can take the place off the bench regarding elite transition offense.
Hyland can make sure the offense stays humming in the non-LaMelo minutes
When Ball is on the court for the Wolves, you can bet that their offense will be at the very top of the league. He elevates everyone around him and is one of the best in the league at creating open looks for the entire team, including himself.
However, Ball can't play 48 minutes in a game. So during the minutes when he sits, or times when he misses games altogether, the offense mustn't nose-dive. Hyland will be arguably the most important cog in making sure that doesn't happen with his playmaking and instant offense.
Either way, I'm expecting a big year out of Hyland; he has a real chance to lead the Wolves bench in scoring and assists, and I would even have him as an extreme dark horse for Sixth Man of the Year.
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