Nah'Shon Lee "Bones" Hyland (born September 14, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the VCU Rams before being drafted 26th overall in the 2021 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.

Bones Hyland
Hyland in 2020
No. 5 – Los Angeles Clippers
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-09-14) September 14, 2000 (age 24)
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight169 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Georges Tech
(Middletown, Delaware)
CollegeVCU (2019–2021)
NBA draft2021: 1st round, 26th overall pick
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career2021–present
Career history
20212023Denver Nuggets
2023–presentLos Angeles Clippers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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Hyland was born in Delaware.[1] Hyland 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.[2] 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.[3] Hyland escaped by jumping from his second-floor bedroom and suffered a torn patellar tendon, sidelining him for six months.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

College career

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On January 18, 2020, Hyland scored a freshman season-high 21 points and five three-pointers in a 91–63 win over St. Bonaventure.[7] 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.[8] In his sophomore season debut on November 25, Hyland scored 23 points, making five three-pointers, in an 85–69 victory over Utah State.[9] 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.[10] Six days later, Hyland posted a career-high 31 points in a 93–68 victory over Western Carolina.[11] On March 5, 2021, he recorded 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 73–68 win against Dayton at the Atlantic 10 tournament quarterfinals.[12] 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.[13] On April 17, 2021, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[14]

Professional career

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Denver Nuggets (2021–2023)

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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.[15][16] 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.[17] 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.[18] Although Hyland played 42 games with the 2022-23 Nuggets and averaged more than 12 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–present)

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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.[19][20]

On April 10, 2024, in a 124–108 loss against the Phoenix Suns, Hyland scored a new career-high 37 points.[21]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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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
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
Career 162 10 18.1 .398 .361 .844 2.3 2.8 .7 .2 10.0

Playoffs

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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 13 0 13.9 .356 .292 .857 1.2 1.8 .4 .1 7.7

College

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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 55 33 25.5 .441 .399 .827 3.3 1.9 1.3 .3 13.6

References

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  1. ^ Reddick, JJ (January 3, 2023). "Bones Hyland Opens Up About His Life Story, Playing With Jokic, Adjusting To The NBA and More" (video). youtube.com.
  2. ^ Epps, Wayne (January 4, 2020). "VCU's next star, 'Bones' Hyland carries his hometown of Wilmington on his back". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  3. ^ Moore, CJ (May 2, 2019). "A year after a tragic fire, high-major recruit Nah'Shon Hyland has his groove back". The Athletic. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  4. ^ Grube, Ryan (October 22, 2019). "After a life-altering house fire, Bones Hyland draws strength from losses". The Commonwealth Times. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  5. ^ Myers, Brad (March 15, 2019). "St. Georges' Hyland is Player of the Year, heads All-State boys basketball team". The News Journal. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  6. ^ Epps, Wayne (June 4, 2019). "VCU adds four-star guard Nah'Shon Hyland to 2019 recruiting class". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  7. ^ Jeter, Fred (January 31, 2020). "VCU's Nah'Shon Hyland: A freshman with impact". Richmond Free Press. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  8. ^ "Nah'Shon Hyland". Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Davis, Marc (November 26, 2020). "Hyland, Williams, strong finish propel VCU past Utah State". WWBT. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  10. ^ "Hyland erupts for 30, Rams throttle Aggies". Virginia Commonwealth University. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  11. ^ "Hyland scores 31 to lift VCU over Western Carolina 93–68". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  12. ^ "Hyland scores 30 to lift VCU past Dayton 73–68 in A-10". Associated Press. March 5, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  13. ^ Epps, Wayne (March 10, 2021). "VCU's Bones Hyland named Atlantic 10's player of year". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  14. ^ Epps, Wayne (April 17, 2021). "VCU's Bones Hyland declares for NBA draft". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  15. ^ Singer, Mike (July 31, 2021). "Meet Nuggets draft pick Bones Hyland, VCU's "pied piper" and the pride of Wilmington". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  16. ^ "2021 NBA Draft results: Picks 1–60". NBA.com. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  17. ^ Singer, Mike (January 15, 2022). "Bones Hyland, Nikola Jokic hammer LeBron James, Lakers in rout". Denver Post. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  18. ^ Nuggets' Bones Hyland: Scores 15, sparks Game 4 victory
  19. ^ "LA Clippers Acquire Hyland from Denver Nuggets". NBA.com. February 9, 2023.
  20. ^ "Magic Acquire Patrick Beverley, Future Second Round Draft Pick and Cash Considerations as Part of a Four-Team Trade". NBA.com. February 9, 2023. the L.A. Clippers acquire Bones Hyland from Denver
  21. ^ Janis Carr (April 10, 2024). "Bones Hyland, Clippers' reserves get a night to shine in loss to Suns". dailynews.com. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
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