Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland can
light up a room with ease.
The 20-year-old is confident
that he has the best personality of any player in the 2021 NBA
Draft, and he has tried to display this during the pre-draft
process. When he interviewed with teams at the NBA Combine, he
kicked off some of his meetings with a rap performance. Hyland is
extremely personable, treating complete strangers like close
friends that he’s known for years.
On the court, he has drawn
comparisons to Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson,
among others. As a sophomore at VCU, Hyland averaged 19.5 points,
4.7 rebounds, 2.9 threes, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals on
53.9/37.1/86.2 shooting splits. BasketballNews.com recently
spent time in the gym with Hyland to
get a behind-the-scenes look at his pre-draft
training.
“Nah'shon ‘Bones’ Hyland is a skilled guard who
easily has legitimate NBA range as a three-point shooter. In two
seasons at VCU, he hit 39.9% of his 331 three-point attempts. He
broke out as a sophomore, averaging 19.5 points per game. He lacks
the ability to play as a true point guard, but he's a good
playmaker who can create looks for both himself and others. If he
cleans up his shot selection and defensive discipline, he projects
nicely at the next level.”
Recently, I had the opportunity
to chat with Hyland, and he opened up about his game, why he feels
he’s the top point guard in this draft, his outgoing personality,
how he can help an NBA team, his off-court interests, how a
childhood tragedy changed his life and much more.
I love your confidence. Early on in this process, you
talked about how you were going to shine at the Combine and
dominate workouts, and then you did exactly that. Have you always
been like that? And where does that confidence come
from?
Nah'Shon "Bones" Hyland:“Yeah, honestly, that confidence really came
from, first of all, the man above – God gave it to me – but also it
came from me trusting in my work. I’ve always lived by: 'Nobody
works harder than me.' So, it came from that as well. I’m always
ready for the moment. I’m never a step or two behind, I’m always
three steps forward.”
After the Combine, there was a lot of buzz about your
performance. What did it mean to you to make the most of that
opportunity and shine on that stage?
Hyland:“It
just shows them how much I’ve been working and how much I’ve been
waiting for this moment my whole life. March Madness was taken away
from me, so I came into that Combine like, ‘This is my March
Madness; this is my coming-out party. I’m about to show the world
that I’m the top point guard in this draft class.’ I wanted to show
them that, and I feel as though I displayed a lot of my talents. I
definitely put them on notice, and I turned a lot of heads toward
me, for sure.”
Over the years, I’ve seen a number of scorers who really
helped their stock during the pre-draft process because they were
able to get hot and dominate their workouts. I feel like this
process isperfectfor
someone with your skill set. Would you agree with
that?
Hyland:
“Exactly. Yeah! (laughs) -- It almost feels like all of these teams
are playing catch-up with me, honestly. I say that because I feel
as though they was [high] on a lot of other players and now they’re
[high] on me, and it feels great. I really showed these teams that
I could’ve helped them during this playoff run, or that I can help
them go from a losing team to a winning team with my attributes. I
feel as though I put them on notice, in a lot of ways.”
Another thing I like about you is that you really seem
to love the game. I’ve heard that a lot of today’s younger players
don’t really play pick-up or 21 or anything – they just do their
drills and then only play the games on their team’s
schedule.
Hyland: “Yup!
Exactly.”
But with you, I’ve seen videos of you playing streetball
and pick-up. I feel like you’d be playing basketball every day even
if you weren’t trying to make it to the NBA. Is that rare nowadays?
And if so, why do you think that is?
Hyland: “It’s
very rare. It just shows you that the love of the game has gone
away from a lot of players, honestly. They just want to work out
and they don’t want to play as much. They don’t want to get no bump
in; they just want to work out and then leave the gym. And, man, I
get mad. I getfrustratedbecause I’m like, ‘What are you coming to the
gym for if you only want to work out? You aren’t gonna play?! You
don’t want to get better by playing?’ I’m the type of kid where I
want to play basketball! Basketball is so fun! First, I want to
dominate everybody in the gym, but I want tohave funin the gym as well. It don’t matter
if it’s 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3 or 5-on-5 -- I can play [a] mad
[amount of] games in one day and then have a game the next day and
still kill, because that’s just the type of player that I
am.
“I just have a different love of
the game. You can speak to anyone about that, and they’ll tell you
the same thing: I get mad at people who don’t like to play
basketball. Even in college, when a lot of the players just wanted
to sit out and nobody wanted to come have runs in the gym at night
or during the day, I was like, ‘What are we here for?! You all just
want to sit in your rooms?’ It made me frustrated, but I can only
control what I can control. Whether we had the runs or not, I still
got my work in. And I’d always try to get at leasta littlebump in here and
there.”
I’ve talked to some older players about that and they
were confused by it. I remember Jamal Crawford was confused by it,
like, “Playing pick-up is the fun part! What do you mean you don’t
want to play?!”
Hyland:“Exactly!(laughs)Like, Ilook forwardto that type of stuff! I’m gon’ go at them
guys! It’s sort of like why I should be that No. 1 guy, for sure.
[I] just have them vibes on the court, you know? For a lot of
people, the love of the game went away.”
Speaking of which, when did you first fall in love with
basketball?
Hyland:“When I
was about 2 years old, honestly. My brother installed basketball
into my life. We went to the park and he just gave me a basketball,
and I just fell in love with how the ball bounces, how it sounds,
how the ball goes into the net… And ever since then, I just ran
with it and it’s been my passion.”
Who are some players that you’ve modeled your game after
or studied?
Hyland:“None,
honestly. I do like to watch players like Jamal Crawford. I like to
watch Ja [Morant]. I like to watch Trae [Young]. But nah, I don’t
try to model my game after anybody. I feel I have a very unique
game. But I definitely like those players, though.”
You love to get out in transition and pull up for deep
threes and things like that. Do you think your game is a perfect
fit for today’s NBA?
Hyland:“Most
definitely. Like I said, a lot of teams are starting to inch toward
me because they’ve seen how much my game translates to the next
level – more than a lot of these players in this draft class,
honestly. I’m the type of kid who has the kind of scoring ability
that a lot of teams need. I’m that spark. You see guys like J.C.
(Jordan Clarkson) of the Jazz and a lot of guys like that; I have
that kind of scoring ability, but I can score in many more ways and
I can do many more things than just the things that he does. I feel
as though I’m that guy that teams should invest in, for
sure.”
What are some aspects of your game that you’re focused
on improving?
Hyland:“All
areas. I feel as though I’m a very solid defender, but I’m working
on my defense. I want to just keep improving on everything,
honestly.”
You got the nickname “Bones” because you were so skinny.
When did that nickname first come about and who gave it to
you?
Hyland:“When I
was younger. Her name is Chicken. She’s a female, and she was my
best friend. She gave me that name and it was probably when we
were, like, 10. It just stuck with me. Ever since then, I was like,
‘Man, that’s anicename, I’m gonna run with that!’ And ever since
then, it’s just been legendary.”
So since you were best friends, you two were “Chicken
Bones” then?
Hyland:“Yes!
(laughs) And everyone would always say both names because we would
always be with each other. So, it was like, ‘Chicken and Bones,’
‘Chicken and Bones,’ ‘Chicken and Bones,’ and then it just went
from there. (laughs) That just shows those names are legendary, for
sure. Like, those are some nice names!”
Are there any misconceptions about you or your game that
you’re trying to disprove throughout this
process?
Hyland: “Uh,
no, not at all. I’m the same man, and I don’t want to change
nothing about me. I don’t have no regrets. I just want the world to
know: I’m that guy who got the best personality. No matter what, I
can light up a room. I can light up a locker room. I just want the
world to know that.”
You’re very personable and easy to talk to, which I’m
sure helps you when you’re interviewing with teams.
Hyland:“Yeah,
they love me. Every single one! In every interview, they love me.
(laughs) Just my confidence, my personality... I rap for some of
the teams. I’m just so outgoing, and when I step into a room, it
[feels] like I’ve known them for so long. It’s like we knew each
other already. That’s the level of confidence that I have and
that’s also the personality that I have. I can light up a room in
seconds.”
You rapped when you interviewed with some teams? That’s
incredible!
Hyland:“Yeah,
I have some songs that I’ve made and I did a little snippet of
those for them, and they loved it! Just right off the bat, from the
rip, I was rapping. I ain’t shy, I ain’t nothing. They just loved
me, honestly.”
I found some of your tracks on YouTube. When did you
start rapping?
Hyland:“Back
in 2018, I started rapping because I faced the house tragedy. I
just found a different passion and love, and it was rapping –
releasing my thoughts through the mic, and it would help me. It was
very therapeutic for me.”
[Editor’s Note: In 2018,
when Hyland was 17, his house caught on fire, killing his
grandmother, Fay, and his 11-month-old brother, Maurice. He escaped
through a second-story window, tearing hispatella when he landed on the
ground.]
Iread about the
tragedy, and I’m so sorry you had to go
through that. I didn’t realize that you turned to rap as a way to
cope with that.
Hyland:“It was
more so, like... I couldn’t hoop, so I had to find something else
or I was gonna go crazy.”
I’m glad you found music. How did that life-changing
tragedy change you?
Hyland:“It
shaped me into a wise young man, honestly. I just showed a lot of
people how tough I really am. And no matter how much adversity is
coming my way, I won’t ever give up. God kept his palm on me, and
I’m just blessed to be here. I wake up with a smile every day. That
changed my life forever.”
That’s a great way of looking at it. You mentioned
having the best personality. Do you try to be that glue guy in the
locker room who is friendly with everyone? And do you think your
personality allows you to make an impact off the court as
well?
Hyland:“Yeah.
You know how on some teams, they’re with each other a little bit,
but you can tell that there’s a little bit of animosity within
them? I feel as though I can come in and be that middle man and
make everyone get on the same page and get everyone to respect me.
Even if I’m young, I’m wise beyond my years. They will listen to me
and hear where I’m coming from, and I can help solve their
problems. Honestly, that’s why I think I can help a losing team
become a winning team. I’m big on building
relationships.”
You mentioned being the best point guard in this class.
What are some of your long-term goals for your NBA
career?
Hyland:“Just
being the best person that I can be, controlling what I can control
day-in and day-out. I don’t ever like to look too far ahead; I like
to stay in the moment, honestly. But whoever misses out on me,
they’re gonna regret it in the next few years – because I’m that
golden child, I’m that gem that you need,
honestly.”
What will it mean to you to hear your name called on
draft night? Has it sunk in yet?
Hyland:“Yeah,
I like to dream about that a lot and look forward to that a lot.
That’s theonlything I look ahead to. (laughs) It’s going to
be a dream come true. It’s going to be like, ‘Wow, I really did it.
I really overcame so much and accomplished my goal.’ I can show the
kids back home that no matter how much adversity you face, you can
do it as well.
“Keep God first, keep your
faith, keep working and keep your love for the game. Never let
nobody steer you wrong. Stay on your path and just show everyone
that you can do it. That’s what I’m doing. That’s what I feel I’m
on this earth for: to display my story and showcase my talents to
the world.”
Let’s say you run into an NBA executive and they ask
you, “Why should I draft you? Why should I want you on my roster?”
What would you tell them?
Hyland:“I have
the best personality. I’m a kid that you’re gonna fall in love
with. I’m a kid that’s going to change your program around, or I’m
a kid that can keep your program at a high level. I can help in
many ways, with my scoring abilities, my shooting abilities, my
playmaking abilities and also on the defensive end. I’m a great kid
to invest in. I’m a kid who has his head on straight. On and off
the court, I’m a great kid and I’m definitely the best investment
that you’ll make.”
What’s the best piece of advice you were ever
given?
Hyland: “Never
give up. From my mom. No matter how tough life gets, never give
up.”