Was Bones Hyland the biggest steal of the 2021 NBA Draft?

The former VCU guard far exceeded expectations, but was Bones Hyland the biggest steal of the 2021 NBA Draft for the Denver Nuggets?

Cade Cunningham was drafted first overall and is clearly Detroit’s best player. Scottie Barnes just won the Rookie of the Year and is already the future of the Toronto Raptors. While Evan Mobley might turn out to be the next Anthony Davis of the NBA.

However, could it be that the Denver Nuggets walked away with the biggest steal in the entire 2021 NBA Draft in Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland?

Now that we’re almost a full year removed from the draft, it’s time to give a final season review of Bones Hyland and determine whether he was the steal of the draft.

The easiest way to define an NBA prospect as a “steal” is if they exceeded their value based on draft position and pre-season expectations. Taking this into account, it’s hard to deny that any player exceeded expectations more than Bones Hyland.

The Denver Nuggets drafted Hyland 26th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, which is just about where many expected him to land. Becoming the first VCU player to get drafted to the league in over 11 years.

At VCU, Hyland capped off his sophomore year averaging 19.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game. Shooting 45 percent from the field, 37 percent from three and 86 percent from the line. Proving to be one of the most explosive scorers in the nation, with the ability to scorch defenses in a variety of ways.

Despite winning the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award and earning a spot on the First-Team All-Atlantic 10 in 2021. He was still regarded as a raw prospect with room to grow. Hence why he was projected to go towards the end of the first round (and did).

Even with the loss of Murray, nobody thought the VCU product was capable of cracking into the rotation. With NBA scouts pegging Hyland as nothing more than a development piece that was undersized, and inefficient.

Boy were they dead wrong…

Unlike other late-round picks in this draft, it didn’t take very long for Bones Hyland to weasel his way into the rotation. Going from a loveable figure with a contagious smile to a hard-nosed competitor on the hardwood in just a few short months.

Being that the Denver Nuggets were set to be without both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., players needed to step up, and among them, was Hyland.

By the time December hit in the 2021-22 NBA regular season, Hyland jumped from 12.3 to 18.4 minutes per game. Cementing himself as the team’s backup point guard and one of the first players off the bench. In that month alone he averaged 9.2 points per game on over 35 percent shooting from the field.

However, what was most impressive is how these numbers only continued to go up over the course of the regular season.

By March, he was playing nearly 22 minutes a night and set season-highs in points (14.3), assists (4.3), and steals per game (0.9). All while shooting over 51 percent from the field and a whopping 48 percent from three. Making 2.6 three-pointers per game.

Then in the playoffs, he continued to show flashes of brilliance averaging 17 minutes and over 9 points in the five postseason games. Including a 15-point performance in Denver’s Game 4 win against the Golden State Warriors.

Bones Hyland capped off the regular season averaging 10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Shooting over 40 percent from the floor, 37 percent from three and 86 percent from the line in 69 games played. All of which is likely going to be enough for him to earn (at least) a Second-Team All-Rookie nod by the end of the postseason.

Considering the fact that Hyland was drafted 26th overall, not much was expected of him this season. It’s easy to see why he’s one of (if not the) biggest steals from the 2021 NBA Draft. Even though many assumed that it would take a while for Bones to integrate himself into a crowded Denver Nuggets backcourt, he quickly emerged as Denver’s go-to scoring option off the bench.

Sure, he’s had his trouble with consistency, and turnovers, but what rookie hasn’t. The truth is that he played a pivotal role on a team that needed an offensive spark following the losses of two of their three best players.

But let’s compare him for a minute to other rookies who also exceeded expectations this season.

Florida’s Tre Man averaged similar scoring numbers for OKC, albeit with fewer assists and shooting a worse percentage in all facets of the game. Plus, it was for the Thunder, who couldn’t even crack 25 wins.

Herbert Jones played admirably for the Pelicans in place of Zion Williamson. Averaging just under 10 points per game to go along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals. As did Ayo Dosunmu, who also displayed a strong defensive showing, and averaged 8.8 points per game for a competitive Bulls squad.

However, perhaps none were as big of a shock as Bones Hyland. Who not only finished the season with comparable numbers but did so while playing a major role for a team that remained competitive for the majority of the NBA season.

With the uncertainty surrounding the future of Monte Morris, and the electric scoring ability of Hyland. The VCU product could easily mould into the starting point guard for a team that’s likely to contend for an NBA championship in the near future.

If this is the case, and Hyland does overtake Monte’s duties as the franchise’s starting playmaker. It’s hard to argue that Bones Hyland isn’t the biggest steal from the 2021 NBA Draft.