When Bones Hyland’s on the break, he can shift gears faster than a Lamborghini. With his length and his quickness, there’s zero reason his skillset can’t be applied to the defensive end, too.
Two days after getting benched for the second half due to a lackluster effort against the Pelicans, Hyland responded against the Mavericks with one of his best games of the season. It wasn’t just the 20 points, or the five momentum-swinging 3-pointers, or the handful of sublime pocket passes he served to Nikola Jokic in the pick-and-roll.
Given how Sunday’s loss against New Orleans had played out, with Denver’s bench getting annihilated and the Pelicans’ version of Hyland, Jose Alvarado, toasting the second unit for a career-high 38 points, the Nuggets were in desperate need of something positive.