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With the 26th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets select… Nah’Shon Lee “Bones” Hyland, Shooting Guard, Virginia Commonwealth University. The 6’3.5 “, 169-pound goaltender made a splash during his two college seasons and made a big jump in his second season when he became the full-time starter. With the rotation of guards and the possibility of Will Barton going elsewhere this offseason, the team needed a player capable of scoring added to the mix.
This is exactly what the president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, gets at Hyland. Hyland doesn’t have the size to fit well alongside Jamal Murray in the squad’s starting lineup, but he can rack up points quickly off the bench. He’s also a 6’9.25 “wingspan which makes him difficult for opposing guards to deal with when he’s on the ball. The Nuggets bench has lacked a goalie with Hyland’s skills in recent years, and they have it now.
Benefits
Length
Hyland is only 6’3.5 “which isn’t ideal if he wants to play the shooter role, but his stature more than makes up for it. Denver’s main guards off the bench last year were PJ Dozier, Facundo Campazzo and Monte Morris. Neither Morris nor Campazzo were particularly able defenders or possessed great length. Hyland adds competition to this group, which increases the production level of all the others.
Shooter
In Hyland’s first season, he averaged 9.0 points per game, but that average rose to 19.5 in his second season. He shot 39.9% from 3 points in his two college seasons, including 43.4% from downtown in his freshman campaign. One skill Hyland brings to the team that they don’t yet have is the ability to reach the free throw line. Hyland was averaging 4.5 free throw attempts per game in his second season on campus. It would have been the second best score of any Nuggets player last season.
Hands
Hyland was a threat on the defensive end last season. He averaged 1.9 steals per game last season, which translated to 2.1 steals every 36 minutes. For reference, those 2.1 steals per 36 minutes would have been the highest rating among any Nuggets player last season. Hyland brings three particular skills that this roster doesn’t already have, which is exactly what they should have been looking for in this draft with their selection alone.
The inconvenients
Weight
At 169 pounds, Hyland is small. There are no two ways to get around it. Using the weights of players from last season, he would have been the fourth lightest player in the league. The three players lighter than him have rarely seen the ground for their respective teams, and this is simply due to the fact that it is easier for defenders to take advantage of the smaller players. Hyland probably won’t be able to put on much weight, but he will need to add size to his frame to survive at the NBA level.
Who passed
Every 36 minutes, Hyland averaged just 2.3 assists. Simply put, when he had the ball he didn’t pass it on to someone else. It might have worked in college, but at the next level, teams will know and take advantage of a player who won’t pass the ball. Bones can’t be like that. He doesn’t need to become a first passing goalie, and that’s not what is expected of him. However, he needs to at least work on offering the pass threat to make the defense think twice when he takes possession.
Safety ball
As good as he is at removing the ball on defense, Hyland was just as good at getting rid of the ball on offense. He averaged 3.1 turnovers per game last season, and it’s just a matter of zealousness and getting into bad situations. This is where working on his passing can really come in handy. When he’s more willing to pass, the defenses should give him more room to operate, which would lead to fewer turnovers.
Final grade: B-
Hyland is a good player and he brings skills that the Nuggets roster currently lacks. The main reasons this rating isn’t higher has to do with other players who were on the board who may be more pro-ready than Hyland. Denver’s window to compete is open and they don’t have time to wait for a player to develop for a year. It’s more than possible that Hyland will come and be a walking bucket on day one and make me look stupid in a year. However, it is also possible that Hyland’s lack of height hurt him early on, which could make him a “wasted” choice as Denver could have looked for a player with a lower cap who is ready to play anyway. following.
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