A late scratch for Anthony Edwards on Monday night at Target Center meant there were going to be more shots to go around.
No player on the Timberwolves took advantage of that opportunity more than Bones Hyland.
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Not only did he set the tone with his aggressiveness off the bench, Hyland proved to be a driving force for the offense, putting up 17 points while helping lead the Timberwolves to a 108-83 win over the Golden State Warriors.
As he reflected on the performance, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch joked that Hyland is allowed to bring that type of energy even when Edwards is in the lineup.
“No rule that says he can’t,” Finch said. “I think some of the problem is that he spends a lot of time deferring with certain lineups out there.”
What stood out most about the way Hyland impacted the game?
“Just the pop that he played with,” Finch said. “We’ve just got to have those performances on a nightly basis.”
The consistency has been the biggest issue for Hyland ever since carving out a spot in the rotation. He has mixed in some impressive performances here and there while often struggling to find a rhythm off the bench.
After popping off for 23 points in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the month, for example, Hyland went a couple of weeks without reaching double digits. He finally busted out of that slump in the win over the Warriors.
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“Just being myself out there,” Hyland said. “I got back to that.”
A few buckets in transition seemed to get him going early. It probably isn’t a coincidence that it led to his best shooting performance in a while. He finished 6 of 9 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.
“It definitely feels like the basket opens up a little more,” Hyland said. “I feel like that’s something I need to do more when things aren’t going.”
There’s a distinct speed with which Hyland plays the game when at the peak of his powers. He pushes the pace with the ball in his hands, which, in turn, allows him to break the paint in a way that very few players on the Timberwolves bench can do.
“He takes a lot of pressure off of other guys,” said Naz Reid, a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year who understands the importance of production off the bench. “He can score the ball with ease.”
No doubt it was good for Hyland to show that, as the Feb. 5 trade deadline is slowly starting to come into focus. In search of a secondary ball-handler that could potentially be a microwave off the bench, the Timberwolves have reportedly shown interest in Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones of the Chicago Bulls.
If the Timberwolves decide to stand pat, Hyland’s performance against the Warriors could play a role in that decision.
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“When he plays like that, he gives us a big lift,” Rudy Gobert said. “That’s what he did. As soon as he came in the game, he changed the game for us. Not just by scoring, but by getting everybody involved and making the right play and being aggressive.”
More of the same will be key for Hyland moving forward.
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