1. The first thing to know about Bones Hyland is that he was far and away the most important player on the VCU roster. He averaged 19.5 points per game this season, almost twice as many as the second highest scorer on the roster and nearly three times as much as the team’s third leading scorer. He was their offense. The team would try hard to score in transition, often giving Bones the green light to let it fly if he got the tiniest sliver of daylight on the break.
In the half court, the team would often run their offense for 20 second only to reset by getting the ball into Hyland’s hands for an iso or PnR. It was out of necessity but it created an environment where Hyland got a lot of reps being placed into actions that mimic what he will see in the NBA.
2. Teams would also overload onto him quite a bit more than your average college star. So when looking at his numbers, it is important to remember that he was often times #1, #2, and #3 on the opposing team’s scouting reports.
3. As a result of being overloaded, Bones had to be crafty in the PnR to generate shots. Most notably, three-point shots that often required great timing, footwork, and the confidence to launch from NBA range.
4. He made 36% of his 3s from 27 feet or further this season, an absurd number that is made more absurd when you look at the level of difficulty on most of those shots. Going through his film, I also got a kick out of how often a play-by-play or color analyst would lose their mind at one of his shots.
5. Defenders rarely went under the screen on Hyland but he is very good at recognizing those moments and getting into his shot quickly. This is a skill that should translate nicely to playing alongside Nikola Jokic and/or any other PnR big, forcing defenses to chase over the top.
6. Another promising skill is his step back three-point shot. He has elite confidence with his side step and step back three and the balance and ability to knock it down consistently.
7. While his three-point shooting is his biggest weapon, he is also a very crafty scorer attacking the basket. His feel for navigating tight spaces in the PnR is beyond his years and he employs a variety of hesitation moves that form a perfect counter to his step back.
8. Most of all, Bones is just slippery. He finds unique ways to fit into the gaps in the defense, often using improvised moves that are a lot more streetball than textbook. It’s not a lack of fundamentals but rather a playground creativity and relentless attack mentality that exists within the parameters of a structured offense and PnR game.
9. The biggest question mark surrounding Hyland offensively is whether or not he can build an NBA body on his frame that will allow him to matchup physically with the world’s best athletes. Mentally, he is already there. He plays like a guy who is 20 lbs. stronger. But those challenges at the rim are going to get a lot more dicey in his first few seasons in the league as his body (hopefully) catches up to his heart.
10. He needs to get quicker. He is crafty enough to make up for his lack of elite burst, often going to the inside hand layup to finish around defenders that he has gained a half step on. NBA defenders will be a bit quicker, a bit longer, and a lot stronger so while these crafty finishes will still come in handy, they will be less effective unless he can improve his speed and quickness.
11. Perhaps the most impressive part of Hyland’s game is his ability to score in transition. Fastbreak scoring can be a major bellwether for college prospects since it demonstrates skill and decision-making at full speed and there is a lot of reason to think that this is especially true for Bones Hyland.
He made an absurd 49% of his pull-up threes in transition, often stopping on a dime well above the three-point line.
VCU didn’t have much spacing or many scoring threats so their half court offense could become a slog. Most of Hyland’s good looks came in transition, often times created by his own ability to put pressure on the rim or stop and pop on the break.
12. Here he is attacking the rim at full speed and using those slippery moves to get by defenders.
13. VCU didn’t have a great passing big man so Bones didn’t score off of cuts very often but there is enough in the film on Bones to show that he has those instincts.
14. He also didn’t take many floaters but he showed the touch to be able to add that to his game over time. And the floater will become an important weapon in his arsenal when he starts going up against NBA-level rim protectors. I’m not sure he will make it in the league without adding this skill at a very high level.
15. He also will need to improve his first step. One of the reasons that he excelled in transition was that he was dominant once he was able to get a head of steam running downhill where the defense was on their heels. His 0 to 60 speed isn’t quite as fast as his open court speed so he will need to add lower body strength and more burst to be able to maximize his talent once he gains a slight advantage on the defense.
