"Joy and spirit": Why Bones Hyland and the Nuggets were a match

The Nuggets had one request for Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland during the in-person interview that Denver’s front office conducted with the VCU guard in the lead-up to last Thursday’s NBA Draft: Just relax.

Pre-draft interviews can be an intimidating setting for NBA prospects. Walking into a room full of executives who have been scouting your game and personality for years and selling yourself to them is a daunting task. The Nuggets want to make the process as natural and laid back as possible so they can find out who these prospects really are.

Hyland absolutely complied with the Nuggets’ one ask. The 6-2 guard out of Wilmington, Delaware gave the Nuggets a glimpse of his raw and true self during the now-legendary pre-draft interview. Hyland rapped a few verses to a song he recently wrote about Kobe Bryant. He was engaging throughout the meeting and energetic about the prospects of playing in Denver. He let his personality shine through. It was one of the more unique and memorable pre-draft interviews that Nuggets brass has ever participated in, according to team personnel that was in the room.

“He certainly relaxed,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said.

Hyland wasn’t putting on an act to try and impress his next potential employer either. The lively and spirited ‘Bones’ that the Nuggets’ front office met with during their formal pre-draft interview and then spoke with on a Zoom call two days prior to the draft is the same person that arrived in Denver on Sunday morning.

It’s who Hyland has always been. At VCU, it was routine to see Hyland run out for warmups and pause to start dancing with kids sitting courtside. He’d often stop on his way to the court and hug diehard Rams fans prior to games too.

“Joy and spirit,” VCU head coach Mike Rhoades told DNVR when describing Hyland. “He just absolutely loves to be around people and it’s important to him to make people feel good.”

But on the court, Bones Hyland is a killer. When Rhoades spoke with NBA GM’s and scouts about Hyland prior to the draft, he relayed stories about his will to win and how his demeanor would change the second the scoreboard turned on. That competitive nature will resonate with Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who always appreciates players who play hard and hate to lose.

“He wants to win at all costs,” Rhoades told DNVR. “Thats the only thing that matters.”

Behind closed doors, Hyland’s basketball addiction comes out. Hyland would typically stay and shoot after most VCU practices for around an hour and a half. In the evening and sometimes closer to midnight, Hyland would journey back to the gym with a graduate assistant and go through more shooting drills.

It’s a characteristic the Nuggets look for when brining players into their organization, and Hyland will fit right in with the rest of Denver’s roster in that regard. Hyland lives, breathes, eats and sleeps basketball. It’s his No. 1, 2 and 3 priority.

“This will be my 25th year of coaching coming up, and I’ve never been around anyone who loves to be in the gym as much as Bones,” Rhoades told DNVR.

The Nuggets are still fairly deep at both guard positions even with Jamal Murray sidelined to start next season, so Hyland could spend some of his rookie year in the G League with the Nuggets’ new affiliate the Grand Rapids Gold. Monte Morris, PJ Dozier and Facu Campazzo are all under contract for next year and there’s a possibility that free agent Will Barton will re-sign with Denver. With the Nuggets’ returning depth and what’s typically a steep learning curve for rookie guards, Connelly even tempered immediate expectations for Hyland on draft night.

“We don’t want to put any undue responsibility or expectations on him,” Connelly said. “We’re a very good team with a lot of depth at those positions.”

But if injuries hit the Nuggets’ backcourt again or Denver needs a change of pace, energy or its spirit lifted, Hyland will be champing at the bit to contribute. He’s an accomplished college player who averaged 19.5 points per game last season and led VCU to the NCAA tournament. Hyland shot 40% from three over his two years in college and is a threat to fire from distance the second he crosses half-court. The Nuggets considered Hyland one of the best shooters in the draft.

He’s electric with the ball in his hands too. Hyland thrives in transition and has a shiftiness to his game that always keeps the defense off balance. His style, cadence and feel is reminiscent of Barton’s. At VCU, Hyland played point guard during his freshman year but moved mostly off the ball as a sophomore. Denver envisions Hyland — like Barton — as a versatile guard who can play either backcourt position.

“He’s got a flexibility and creativity to his game that’s not super common right now,” Connelly said. “He’s a guy who you can tell grew up playing on playgrounds and playing a lot of basketball. 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3.”

Hyland is genuinely happy he got scooped up by Denver. The 20-year-old said on draft night that he was gelling so well with Nuggets team personnel during his pre-draft interview that he didn’t want the meeting to end. By the time the interview was over, he was convinced his draft floor was 26th overall where the Nuggets were selecting. If he was still available with Denver on the clock, Hyland thought he’d be the pick.

“I just felt a different type of vibe with the coaches and staff that was in there,” Hyland said. “It was like they knew they were drafting me, honestly. It was just like, ‘Wow. I feel like I belong with them. I feel like I’m going to get along with them.'”

Hyland just fits in Denver. He’s an underdog who came from a tough upbringing in Wilmington and survived a house fire during his junior year of high school that took his grandmother and younger cousin’s lives. Hyland escaped the flames by jumping from a second-story window but tore his patellar tendon in the fall. He went on to star at VCU but feels like he never got the national respect he deserved over the last two seasons.

In the Nuggets’ locker room, Hyland will be surrounded by fellow underdogs who used that same motivation to carve out their own NBA careers.

“Every team that passed up on me, I’m going to make them pay for sure,” Hyland said. “Every single last one of them.”

Hyland meshes well with the Nuggets culture and his infectious personality will liven up Denver’s locker room. He loves the game and leaves everything on the floor. Hyland plays to win and hates to lose. On offense, he’s a must-watch. Defensively, he needs to improve, but Hyland’s 6-9 1/4 wingspan helped him average just under two steals per game last season.

Hyland’s thrilled about the potential of playing next to Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and eventually Murray. He ecstatic that he’s going to a winner. He’s a grinder and live wire with a distinct passion for basketball.

Bones Hyland and the Nuggets. It’s the perfect match.

“He has supreme confidence in himself and in his ability,” Rhodes told DNVR. “That registers with people. If you’re not one like that, you’re probably not going to want to go against him. He’ll gas people up around him too. That spirit and that joy becomes contagious.”