1/6/2024 0 Comments Nuggets roster![]() If his ability to do the work before the shot pans out against NBA competition, though, it will give him a long career. Bones is a fearless shooter with tons of range, but that alone doesn’t make him a big-minutes NBA guy. He uses his footwork to get space to get to the basket, or space to get off one of his soft-touch shots. He’s not the fastest guy or the quickest guy, but he goes from stillness to slithery quickness in a heartbeat. It takes years to get to that level, but Bones is well on his way to being strong in isolation. Last season, the six most efficient isolation scorers in the NBA via Synergy (>3 possessions per game) were DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and James Harden. Being an elite isolation scorer is difficult. Having the moves is half the battle, and Bones consistently leverages that advantage through years honing his craft. He has the handle and dribble package of a veteran guard scorer, as well as the confidence to take the shots he frees himself up to take consistently. What was the most impressive aspect of Bones Hyland’s four games?īlackburn: Bones’ ability to create space with little effort is developed well beyond his years. Maybe some time in the G League in a role specifically designed for him by coaches finally employed by Denver would help. But Summer League style play doesn’t help him do that either. After watching him this summer, I’m not sure I see those things developing - and with fewer than 250 NBA minutes played it makes sense that he doesn’t fit that role. Perimeter defense, weak-side shot blocking, spot up threes without the ball in his hands. Bol is not going to get the 14+ shot attempts a game he took in Summer League, so he has to find a way to do other things. In some ways, he has some of the issues that Kristaps Porzingis has after his knee injury: he doesn’t trust his body to move laterally and it’s erasing what should be a dominant length advantage. ![]() He’s a small forward who can’t really defend on the perimeter yet, and doesn’t have the body to bang inside with bigger players. Bol is a talented player, but I don’t know his formula for success on an NBA team. In short, if Bol is going to be on the floor getting buckets, they will probably serve as empty scoring possessions while he struggles to impact the game elsewhere. He struggled to rebound and defend in his three games, so that doesn’t seem so exciting. In Denver, he will be asked to fill the role of “role player” which means he won’t be scoring as much and will have to rely on different ways to impact the game. In filling the role of “star scorer” on a team, he had trouble scoring within the flow of the offense and getting other players involved (0.67 assists per game). It’s a harsh word, but it seems pretty clear to me in the moment that Bol Bol, while possessing considerable scoring skills, is having trouble elevating the levels of those around him. Give one word to describe the performance put on by Bol Bol in the first three games:īlackburn: Empty. Bones played within himself, scoring when necessary and playmaking for others easily and willingly. Being successful in Summer League is not a guarantee of NBA success, but it sure is better than looking unready. His offense is as advertised, and he looks head and shoulders better than his competition - as he should if he is an NBA-ready player. There’s really no good way to evaluate defense in Summer League, but you can see his effort is there on closeouts and the like. ![]() Gordon Gross (GMoneyNuggs): Definitely Bones. Though I still have concerns about his slight frame and his attention to detail defensively, it’s impossible to NOT be impressed with Bones at this point. His ability to read the floor, navigate traffic, and consistently find great shots for himself and his teammates was eye opening to me. While those aspects of Bones’ game shown through spectacularly, I wasn’t expecting to see Bones display such impressive basketball IQ at such an early point. Entering summer league, I had limited my expectations for Denver’s 26th overall pick, partially due to restraint and partially due to my previous evaluation of Hyland as simply a scorer with deep range. Ryan Blackburn It has to be Bones Hyland for me. The games kick off next Friday with all of them being aired on NBATV or ESPNU.Who was the most impressive player on the Denver Nuggets summer league roster? Notably soon-to-be-second year player Bones Hyland is not on the roster after his standout first season. The Nuggets roster is currently full but they have one two-way contract left to hand out and could pull back their qualifying offer from Vlatko Cančar if somebody really stands out.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |