Look, if I have a chance to go Trek, imma go Trek. Famous last words from a nerd (I think the best jingles rhyme), but what else should I do with a player named Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland that isn’t sexually explicit? Sharing the same naming conventions of Duncan Idaho or perhaps the more-widely known Hannah Montana, Bones Hyland has been making a name for himself lately, which seems redundant in this context. For a rookie that has set career-high for point in his last four games, one might wonder what his true ceiling is, and while he wasn’t considered in the highest tiers in this past draft class, surely that sentiment is changing and for good reason. So while he might not ever reach Doctor McCoy levels of stardom, one has to be happy with the fact that he actually might become an NBA star, which you know is probably more important since, well, yeah, spoiler alert, this is a basketball site.
Want the best tools and projections to help dominate your league? Check out the Stocktonator, the byproduct of Rudy and machine making love. Click HERE for a FREE 3-day trial.
As of this writing, Hyland’s last game went something like 18 points, 5-of-9 field goals, 4-of-8 from three-point land, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals in just 23 minutes. With the aforementioned career-high scoring in his last four games, he’s obviously getting noticed a bit more and in my humble, not so humble opinion should already be at least in the conversations for Rookie of the Year.
And while basketball stats and fantasy points share the penchant for not really caring about your origin story, I think it’s worth noting that Hyland’s particular story is easy to root for. In 2018, he experienced a tragic house fire with his family trapped inside. He managed to escape by jumping off the second floor, but in the process, he tore his torn patellar tendon upon landing and wouldn’t recover from it until six months later.
The most devastating aspect, of course, was that the fire would cost the lives of his grandmother (Fay) and cousin (Maurice). What was a gut-wrenching tragedy at that age for Bones Hyland, along with a serious injury led many to wonder if his basketball career was in jeopardy.
“It made me become a better man because it helped me visualize things better, as far as what I was doing and what I was playing basketball for,” Hyland said. “It really helped me grow and become more mature, and just helped me become a leader.”
But entering his time at VCU as a 4-star recruit, a glimmer started to show after his first eleven games when he finished his first performance above 20 minutes with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Once his minutes began to grow, an injury to another guard opened the door fully and he never looked back, securing an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection. While his role was limited from the start, his growth and production went a long way to convincing the industry that he could be a presence in the NBA and contribute.
Falling all the way to the 26th pick, it seems Tim Connelly is once again doing Tim Connelly-like things. And while he deserves all the credit, one has to wonder if other GMs might want to pay a little bit more attention to smaller college programs. Ja Morant, Dame, and Curry will make you hold their beer to compound that point, but regardless, the hype-train, while mainly subdued at the beginning, has been full steam ahead since the draft, and also ends the train metaphor quite nicely if I do say so myself.
So he has a riveting backstory, which I again admit, has nothing to do with anything, but also has a pedigree coming into the NBA, which probably wasn’t noticed as much because of his collegiate environment. But most importantly, in what has been a young season, this young player continues to cement himself as a team leader (plays a bit into the first thing, yeah?), and an energetic guard that comes with some great defense, an aspect that might not show up on the fantasy point sheet, but certainly plays a huge role in minutes played, something that seems to be Hyland’s only restriction at this point.
And that’s the best part because if that’s the only thing that’s holding Hyland back, we are going to go from the Sweet Lou William player comps to something more, something better. Now I’m not saying this will happen right away. There’s a good reason why Austin Rivers continues to get the nod in the starting lineup over Hyland, something the detractors would highlight but keep in mind that last season, the Nuggets’ bench was essentially just a bunch of dudes passing the ball around until they were forced to take a contentested jumper. Rinse and repeat until one of Jamal/Jokic/Barton came back into the game. Straight-up, there’s something to be said about a team wanting, or in this case, needing a dynamic talent in their second unit, so this type of roster strategy shouldn’t be a negative here, simply put, it’s not his lack of skill keeping him with the second unit, it’s actually something much more positive, his ability to anchor that unit into something better and more robust. Like that great pasta sauce you recently had. Or didn’t, I don’t know what you eat maaan.
Regardless, if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon, this is me telling you to jump. If you’re already on the bandwagon, I guess enjoy the ride. Bones Hyland can pass, drive, shoot, and plays excellent defense and he’s not even starting yet. He may not be a doctor, but he certainly is a basketball player, and at the end of the day, that’s all you really need.*
*Probably still good to know an actual Doctor though, not gonna lie…
Jay is a longtime Razzball everything who consumes an egregious amount of Makers Mark as a vehicle to gain wisdom and augment his natural glow. Living in the D.C. area, he also likes spending time visiting the local parks and feeding lettuce to any turtles he encounters, including Mitch McConnell. You can follow him on Twitter @jaywrong.
