Rookie season scouting report on Bones Hyland

1. Perhaps the most significant weapon in Bones Hyland’s arsenal is his confidence and ability to take deep threes. Bones was elite at this skill in his two seasons in college and that skill has translated nicely in his rookie season in the NBA where he routinely took threes from 2-5 feet from behind the arc. He even occasionally ventured to the logo range, shooting 7-17 on non-heaves from at least 30 feet.

In addition to converting on these shots at an impressive rate, these attempts extend Bones’ gravity and force teams to second-guess going under on PnRs. As Bones’ reputation as a deep three-point shooter increases, it will open up more and more area in the paint for Bones to sprint into or find Nikola Jokic on the short roll.

2. Bones’ second most obvious trait is how dynamic he is in the open court and how willing he is to sprint the ball up the court every possession, including possessions where the Nuggets had to take the ball out of the net. His decision making in the open court this season left plenty of room for improvement but his skillset provides more than enough reason to be optimistic about transition scoring and playmaking becoming a major strength for Bones.

3. Bones thrives as a pull-up three-point shooter when defenses fail to pick him up on the break.

4. He’s also comfortable as a spot-up shooter on the wing. This is a skill that is especially valuable playing alongside “Magic” Jokic.

5. He’s a lot more fundamentally sound than most rookie scoring guards, filling the appropriate lanes and picking the right moments to space or cut towards the basket.

6. He also uses his speed and motor to force 1-5 switches in transition and compounds the advantage of those switches with well-timed three-point attempts that leave the offensive glass open for the mismatched big.

7. Bones also improved at staying patient while also remaining opportunistic. In the first clip below, he properly reads the drop defender getting ready to release before attacking an empty paint. In the second clip, he doesn’t force a shot or entry pass off of the first switch. Both reads are advanced for a rookie scoring guard.

8. Bones uses his physical traits to his advantage very well. His long stride, reach, and quick first step are all weapons that balance out his thin frame. The step-back three is the counter that keep defenders honest from slacking too far off of him on PnRs and isolations.

9. One trait that I suspect will become more valuable to the Nuggets in the coming years is Bones’ feel, timing, and finishing off of cuts. Once again, those long strides and quick first step make him a tough receiver to cover on give-and-go’s with Jokic.

10. He’s also a very good at relocating on the perimeter to maximize his gravity and take advantage of teams that try to pack the paint against Jokic.

11. This was one of my favorite clips and it comes straight from the Jamal Murray school of guards being willing to set screens off ball.

12. Another key fundamental is Bones’ ability to enter the ball to the post. His touch on passes like the left-handed push pass below stands out but his quick trigger on over-the-top passes are what are most encouraging. There is often a tight window to sneak a pass over the top when a defender fronts the post in transition before the backside help rotates over or the fronting defender slides back around and steals the ball from behind. Bones seems to have that timing down.

13. There are a lot of questions to be answered about Bones’ upside as a defender but his length is an under-rated weapon on that end of the floor, even when he is challenged by bigger and stronger guards.

14. The plays that drive Michael Malone crazy are the ones where Bones either fails to read his defensive assignments quickly enough or where he gets outworked on seemingly simple transitions like the one below. Those mistakes are common for rookies but are a killer for a team’s defense. The Warriors, with their elite passing and player movement will shine an especially bright light on this weakness.

15. Perhaps the most important skill for Bones to hone in his first NBA offseason will be his footwork on three-point and mid-range pull-ups. One reason that he takes so many deep threes is because the added spacing allows him to get his relatively slow shot off without getting blocked. That issue is accentuated when he drives into the mid-range and is tasked with elevating against a switch.

Jamal Murray is pretty elite at this skill and it is one area that the two players are most different. To improve in this area, Bones will have to speed up his release and develop better footwork on his pull-up jumper, especially when driving towards his left.