by Jordan Long
The NBA Draft came and went last night. The Denver Nuggets held the 26th pick in the first round, their only selection of the night. Denver wanted to draft a player who could make an impact and hit jump shots as well as improve their outside shooting. Denver could have traded up to select point guard from the University of Florida, Tre Mann. He went to the Oklahoma City Thunder at 18. The other option for Denver was to make a trade out of the first round to receive a draft pick back for next year. They stayed at #26 and drafted point guard Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland.
Hyland played his college basketball at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for the past two seasons. Last year, he was their starting point guard. Hyland averaged 19.5 points, 2.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game. VCU earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They were supposed to play Oregon in the round of 64 but VCU couldn’t due to COVID-19 protocols. It was declared a no-contest and Oregon advanced to the round of 32.
Hyland finished his career at VCU averaging 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. These stats don’t jump out. What will help the Nuggets is his shooting. He is a career 39.9% shooter from the 3-point line and nails field goals at 50%. Those looks should help the Denver Nuggets add points to the scoreboard.
According to the Denverpost.com, Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly said, “He just has an infectious energy. It’s not unique to the basketball courts. You walk in a room with him, the guy puts a smile on your face.”
This was a smart selection by Denver. The Nuggets know they won’t have starting point guard Jamal Murray until late in the 2021-2022 season. They do have scorers in Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic, and Monte Morris who can all nail shots, but they wanted more offense and a player who could add to that. Denver decided Hyland was the best available who could help this team.
The Nuggets are anticipating he can play either point guard or shooting guard. Hyland needs to develop his game more. He could be a player Denver will count on for years to come. Hyland most likely be a bench player this upcoming year. He will be in games, but it won’t be that many minutes to start out with such as games that are already decided in the 4th quarter. Hyland may play 5 to 6 minutes early in the year. Once he shows he can play, he might be in Head Coach Mike Malone’s rotation off the bench and receive more playing time. Hopefully, Hyland stays in the Mile High City for years to come and maybe help them with the ultimate goal, winning an NBA Championship or two.
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