With the way Bones Hyland is playing right now, some Denver Nuggets fans might wonder why the team traded him for pennies on the dollar nearly three years ago. Making matters worse, his hot streak has helped the Nuggets' rival, the Minnesota Timberwolves, weather the absence of Anthony Edwards.
The current standings have the Nuggets and Wolves on a collision course to meet in the first round of the playoffs. If that happens, Hyland has an opportunity to make his former squad regret its decision not to stick with its first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Bones stepping up has been a problem for the Nuggets
Unfortunate news swept the league around a week ago when Edwards was reported to have experienced inflammation in his right knee.
He was expected to be out for about a week or two, which should be working in favor of the Nuggets. However, Hyland's solid play as of late has helped Minnesota go 3-1 in its previous four matchups. As a result, it is just 0.5 games behind the Nuggets for the No. 4 seed.
During that stretch, Bones averaged 20.0 points per match on a 53-45-93 shooting split and had a total plus/minus of +69. It remains to be seen if he can continue his torrid shooting. But there's little reason to believe that he can't, especially after putting up 23 points, tying his season-best, against the Boston Celtics, owners of one of the league's stingiest defenses this year, on Sunday.
At this rate, the Nuggets must consider their next games must-win affairs if they want to hold onto the No. 4 seed and open the playoffs with a homecourt advantage. The Wolves continuing to win without their top player has given Denver little margin for error.
Bones has always been capable of exploding on offense
The Nuggets have always known about Hyland's high upside as a gunner off the bench. They even benefited from it for one-and-a-half seasons before sending him to the LA Clippers in the middle of the 2022-23 campaign — just months before they won the championship.
Perhaps if he had shown enough maturity back then, the Nuggets would have bet on his future in the Mile High City rather than ship him in exchange for two second-round picks. Moreover, Hyland supplied nothing else but scoring, which may have made it easier for the previous front office to let him go.
If he has indeed turned the corner, though, it could develop into a bigger problem for Denver. On the other hand, some Nuggets fans might be thrilled that Hyland has possibly found his footing in the league. But hopefully, he won't be the reason the Nuggets' season ends earlier than expected.