Our player preview series for the 2025 Clippers season continues with Bones Hyland, the seldom-used but very talented backup guard.
Basic Information
Height: 6’2
Weight: 173 pounds
Position: Point Guard/Shooting Guard
Age: 24
Years in NBA: 3
Key Stats: 6.9 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.2 turnovers in 14.6 minutes per game across 37 games (5 starts) on 38.6/32/6/78.3 shooting splits.
Contract Status: Fourth year of a four-year, $10.7 million rookie scale deal signed in 2021-22 with the Denver Nuggets with a potential qualifying offer at the end of the season.
Expectations
If the past couple of seasons are any indication, Clippers fans expectations for Bones Hyland shouldn’t be very high. He’s been on the periphery of the rotation since he arrived in LA and there’s no reason to expect that to change heading into the 2024-25 season.
But Hyland has often played well when he’s been called upon. Last season with the Clippers opting to sit most of their key guys, Hyland dropped a career-high 37 points in a near upset of the full-strength Phoenix Suns.
Expectations should be tempered though, as Hyland is behind James Harden and Kris Dunn on the point guard depth chart. While he can also play shooting guard, he’s behind Terance Mann, Norman Powell and maybe even Kevin Porter Jr. in the two guard rotation.
Strengths
There’s no question that Hyland can score the basketball. He’s a very gifted offensive player who can have the ball in his hands and make plays. He can get his own shot, he can get teammates scoring opportunities, and he puts a lot of pressure on the defense with his slashing ability.
He’s a very good three-point shooter too. He can shoot off the catch and can shoot off the dribble. He’s a career 36.1 percent shooter from three-point range.
He doesn’t lack confidence either. You know when he’s on the court he’s going to give it his all and he’s going to approach the game like he’s one of the best players on the court.
Weaknesses
One of the things that limits Hyland defensively is his size. He just doesn’t have the size to matchup up on defense against bigger guards. It’s not that he’s a poor defender; he’s adept at getting steals and forcing turnovers. But in the halfcourt, bigger guards are his weakness.
He can also try and do a little too much on the offensive end. He’s one of those players who can get into a zone and when it happens he tends to favor his shot a little much at the expense of getting others involved.
Summary
It wouldn’t be surprising for Hyland to be a potential trade candidate for the Clippers. He just doesn’t feature much into the team’s plans this season or in the foreseeable future. It’s hard to imagine he’d have much trade value either. But some team might be looking to take a flier on a still relatively young guard.
But if Hyland finishes out the season with the Clippers, he’s going to be stuck to the bench. It also wouldn’t be shocking if the Clippers then decline to extend him a qualifying offer in the offseason, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
