NBA Draft 2021: VCU’s Bones Hyland selected by Denver Nuggets

Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland is headed to the Denver Nuggets as the 26th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Hyland is a player who will never let his circumstances define him. After injuring his shoulder during a tragic house fire in 2018, some questioned if he would ever be the same player again. Hyland was slept on out of high school, and he didn’t receive offers from any of college basketball’s premier programs. But Bones refused to make excuses, and he can now call himself an NBA player.

Hyland enters the NBA after spending two years playing collegiately for the VCU Rams. Despite only spending two years in Richmond, Hyland firmly established himself as one of the best players in VCU’s recent history. After averaging nine points per game during a promising freshman campaign, Hyland emerged as one of college basketball’s premier scoring threats as a sophomore. During Hyland’s sophomore season he averaged 19.5 points per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field. As a result of his dazzling play, Hyland was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. Hyland also helped lead the Rams to a strong 19-7 record and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Hyland is widely considered to be one of the best shot creators in this draft class, so he has the potential to immediately provide a scoring punch off the bench. While his defense and passing could still use some work, he has an impressive arsenal of abilities as a combo guard that makes him a really promising player to land at this juncture of the draft. Hyland’s ability to play either guard spot paired with his shooting upside make him a natural fit for the direction of the modern NBA.