Nuggets rookie Bones Hyland is starting to win fans over in Denver with his electric play and personality, Alex Kennedy of BasketballNews.com writes. Hyland has provided solid backcourt production for the Nuggets this season, showing flashes of potential at just 21 years old.
“That’s honestly what I do,” Hyland said about becoming a fan favorite. “I’m getting more and more comfortable being out there and, as you can see, I’m showing a lot more. But that’s what I do: I get the crowd involved. I’m a fan favorite, I can already tell that. That’s been me for my whole life! It’s just going to keep happening as the season goes along.”
Denver drafted Hyland with the No. 26 pick in July, expressing confidence in the VCU product. The team will need his production as star guard Jamal Murray continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered last April.
Here are some other notes from the Northwest:
- The Trail Blazers made a starting lineup adjustment on Sunday, choosing to start Larry Nance Jr. over Robert Covington at power forward, Jason Quick of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). While the move adds more size to the lineup, it could hurt the team’s ability to space the floor and shoot. Nance has made just 29% of his attempts from three-point range this season, while Covington has hit 35%.
- Nuggets guard Markus Howard made the most of his opportunity against the Spurs on Saturday, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes. Howard, who is on a two-way contract, finished with 21 points in 21 minutes off the bench. “I just know any time I’m put in a position to be in the game, I know my skillset, and I know what I’m capable of doing,” he said. “And so do my teammates. They have trust in me to be able to make plays.”
- The Jazz are urging vigilance against COVID-19, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake City Tribune writes. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to go anywhere soon,” center Rudy Gobert explained. “So we have to be smart, keep moving forward, be smart, and that’s it. It’s unfortunate when someone tests positive, but it’s going to be our reality for a while, so we’ve got to just live with it.”
Bones and Ayo were two prospects that were heavily overlooked in this past draft. Too often I think GMs fall in love with potential, athleticism, speed, etc., and I think they end up overlooking work ethic and a player’s will and abilities to be coached and improve.
Denver and Chicago, which is ironic since the Bulls head decision maker came from Denver, both got two of the best value selections and steals from the draft, and both got two solid role players that are hungry to improve and get better.
Ayo is an example of physical talent that got doubted on effort issues at Illinois.
To appreciate him, I had to assume he was not fully motivated, but would be in the NBA. Indeed, he seemed bored to me. So it is a matter of who will turn it on at the next level… or who will take advantage of an NBA opportunity.
That is just such a horrible decision to put Nance ahead of RoCo… can’t even be explained in anyway shape, size or form… just awful!
POR must start thinking ’bout firing Billups, I know the team was terrible anyway, but he is just doing nothing with it!
I don’t like Billups, but their problem is the Dame situation. They need to press the reset button 100% while he is still a valuable player, because he is aging and this season is looking really bad for him. There is no way they extend him into a super-max, that would be awful for the franchise. The team is really bad constructed, like the Mavs, but Luka is younger; I kinda see similarities in terms of their problems.
Tangibles are easier to justify than intangibles when making a decision which put GMs in a hard place.