# Bones Hyland

Nah'Shon Lee "Bones" Hyland (born September 14, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA) on a two-way contract with the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the VCU Rams before being drafted 26th overall in the 2021 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.

## Early life

Hyland was born in Delaware. He started playing basketball after watching his older brother and a friend playing at the park. He was nicknamed "Bizzy Bones" or "Bones" in part due to his slender build. Hyland attended St. Georges Technical High School in Middletown, Delaware. During his junior year, his 11-month-old cousin and grandmother died in a house fire. Hyland escaped by jumping from his second-floor bedroom and suffered a torn patellar tendon, sidelining him for six months. As a senior, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals per game, leading his team to the semifinals of the state tournament. He was named Delaware Player of the Year and earned first team All-State honors. A four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for VCU over offers from Saint Joseph's, Rhode Island, La Salle, Boston College, UConn, and Temple.

## College career

On January 18, 2020, Hyland scored a freshman season-high 21 points and five three-pointers in a 91–63 win over St. Bonaventure. As a freshman, he averaged nine points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, earning Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team accolades. He shot 43.4 percent from three-point range and set a program freshman record with 63 three-pointers. In his sophomore season debut on November 25, Hyland scored 23 points, making five three-pointers, in an 85–69 victory over Utah State. On December 9, he scored 30 points, shooting 7-of-12 from three-point range, in a 95–59 win over North Carolina A&T. Six days later, Hyland posted a career-high 31 points in a 93–68 victory over Western Carolina. On March 5, 2021, he recorded 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 73–68 win against Dayton at the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals. As a sophomore, Hyland averaged 19.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. On April 17, 2021, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

## Professional career
### Denver Nuggets (2021–2023)

On July 29, 2021, Hyland was drafted with the 26th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets, becoming VCU's first draft pick in 11 years. On January 15, 2022, Hyland scored a then career-high 27 points and had 10 rebounds in a 133–96 win against the Los Angeles Lakers. On April 24, in the first round of the playoffs, Hyland helped the Nuggets to a 126–121 Game 4 victory over the Golden State Warriors, with 15 points and 7 assists. Although Hyland played 42 games with the 2022-23 Nuggets and averaged more than 11 points per game before his trade, he was excluded from receiving a championship ring when Denver won the NBA title after sending him to the Clippers.

### Los Angeles Clippers (2023–2025)

On February 9, 2023, Hyland was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in a four-team trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic.
On April 10, 2024, in a 124–108 loss against the Phoenix Suns, Hyland scored a new career-high 37 points.
On February 6, 2025, Hyland and Terance Mann were traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for guard Bogdan Bogdanović, and three second-round draft picks. He was waived the next day.

### Minnesota Timberwolves (2025–present)

On February 27, 2025, Hyland signed a two-way contract with the Timberwolves.

## Career statistics
### NBA
#### Regular season

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2021–22 | Denver | 69 | 4 | 19.0 | .403 | .366 | .856 | 2.7 | 2.8 | .6 | .3 | 10.1 |
| 2022–23 | Denver | 42 | 1 | 19.5 | .399 | .378 | .866 | 2.0 | 3.0 | .7 | .3 | 12.1 |
| 2022–23 | L.A. Clippers | 14 | 0 | 18.9 | .401 | .351 | .750 | 3.5 | 3.4 | .8 | .1 | 10.8 |
| 2023–24 | L.A. Clippers | 37 | 5 | 14.6 | .386 | .326 | .783 | 1.5 | 2.5 | .7 | .1 | 6.9 |
| 2024–25 | L.A. Clippers | 20 | 0 | 11.1 | .391 | .388 | .885 | 1.2 | 1.4 | .9 | .2 | 7.2 |
| Career | Career | 182 | 10 | 17.3 | .398 | .364 | .848 | 2.2 | 2.7 | .7 | .2 | 9.7 |

#### Playoffs

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2022 | Denver | 5 | 0 | 17.3 | .361 | .348 | .857 | 2.0 | 3.2 | .2 | .0 | 9.2 |
| 2023 | L.A. Clippers | 5 | 0 | 16.5 | .341 | .250 | .800 | .8 | .8 | .8 | .2 | 8.6 |
| 2024 | L.A. Clippers | 3 | 0 | 4.0 | .429 | .200 | 1.000 | .7 | 1.3 | .0 | .0 | 3.7 |
| Career | Career | 13 | 0 | 13.9 | .356 | .292 | .857 | 1.2 | 1.8 | .4 | .1 | 7.7 |

### College

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2019–20 | VCU | 31 | 9 | 20.6 | .433 | .434 | .667 | 2.2 | 1.8 | .8 | .3 | 9.0 |
| 2020–21 | VCU | 24 | 24 | 31.9 | .447 | .371 | .862 | 4.7 | 2.1 | 1.9 | .2 | 19.5 |
| Career | Career | 55 | 33 | 25.5 | .441 | .399 | .827 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 1.3 | .3 | 13.6 |