Nuggets sniper Bones Hyland has a tried-and-true method for busting out of a shooting slump.
“Keep shooting, honestly,” Hyland said without a trace of hesitation on Thursday.
“I know I’m a great shooter, I know I shoot the skin off the ball,” he said. “I work so hard. … Itap not a big deal. Next game, I can run off seven threes.”
Friday’s opponent, the Portland Trail Blazers, hope that’s not the case, but itap that unwavering confidence that former Nuggets president Tim Connelly became enamored with when he drafted Hyland two seasons ago.
Over his past three games, Hyland is just 9 for 35 from the field, including just 3 of 18 from the 3-point line. He’s also only tallied four rebounds and four assists in that span as well. That said, he’s still one of five Nuggets shooting over 40% from 3-point range.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Hyland’s helped the Nuggets win a handful of games already and has full confidence that he’ll bounce back. In the meantime – and the rule applies to everyone on the team, not just Hyland – Malone said there’s always an emphasis on impacting the game in other ways than scoring.
“We don’t like specialists,” he said. “If your shot’s not falling, ‘OK, we need you, you’re a scorer off the bench, but run your team. Make plays for your teammates, defend, rebound the basketball. Do all the other things to help you get (back).’”
While at least one of his teammates, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, said his offensive game is often predicated on engaging on the defensive end, Hyland said he tries to be more aggressive when his shots aren’t falling. That means searching for backdoor cuts, attacking the rim or finding his spots in transition. One way or another, like a moth to a flame, Hyland’s going to gravitate toward the basket.
By virtue of last summer’s trade with Washington, which sent veteran guards Monte Morris and Will Barton to the Wizards in exchange for Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, the spotlight was inevitably cast toward Hyland. Whether stated publicly or not, Hyland assumed responsibility for not only finding his offense but setting the table for his teammates on the second unit.
Thatap proved harder than anticipated, owing to a multitude of factors. Forward Michael Porter Jr. is nearing a return from a heel issue that kept him on the shelf for a month. In his stead, Bruce Brown slid into the starting lineup, which plucked another playmaker from the bench.
Recently, Jamal Murray’s been staggering with the second unit to help alleviate some playmaking pressure off Hyland, but his inconsistency, due to his ongoing recovery from ACL surgery, has made it difficult to establish chemistry with Hyland, too. Not to mention, both play the point with the same attacking mentality.
Against the Grizzlies, Christian Braun drew his first career start, and Zeke Nnaji played his first meaningful minutes in two weeks. For Hyland, that meant adapting to new players while DeAndre Jordan watched from the bench.
“Itap not a lot of pressure, but itap kind of hard sometimes when you have different guys out there every single game,” Hyland admitted.
As such, the chemistry off the bench, 30 games into the season, isn’t where it needs to be.
“I’m calling a play and nobody’s moving, nobody knows what to do, so I’m just looking, and then it looks like itap on me,” he said.
The Nuggets’ cohesion is predicated on health. As that improves, perhaps the bench might finally solve its identity crisis.
