Young NBA Player Sends Heartfelt Message to Ja Morant

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Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is one of the best guards in the NBA. At just 24 years old, Morant is already a two-time NBA All-Star and one-time All-NBA team member. Morant has also led the Grizzlies to three playoff appearances since being selected second-overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
While he is still young, Morant is a player that others around the league look up to. Many young guards see Morant as a player to emulate, as the Grizzlies star is an all-around talent.
In a social media exchange on X, young LA Clippers guard Bones Hyland shared a heartfelt response to Morant praising his performance at a recent summer Pro-Am:
My brother 🤞🏽
— Bones Hyland (@BizzyBones11) August 3, 2024
Hyland is a very talented young guard who is looking for an opportunity for extended rotation minutes at the NBA level. The most total minutes Hyland played in an NBA season came his rookie year with the Denver Nuggets when he appeared in 69 games, totaling 1,310 minutes played.
Falling out of Denver's rotation, Hyland was traded to the Clippers in 2023 where he has yet to receive consistent playing time. Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank suggested Hyland could be traded this summer if the Clippers do not believe he has a path to minutes.
Lawrence Frank says the Clippers will look for opportunities elsewhere for Bones Hyland if they determine he doesn’t have a pathway to minutes next season.
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) July 15, 2024
Frank: “If he’s with us, we expect him to compete for playing time. If we don’t think there’s an opportunity for him, then… pic.twitter.com/G7RAC6Er46
"If he’s with us, we expect him to compete for playing time," Frank said of Hyland. "If we don’t think there’s an opportunity for him, then there will be an opportunity for him elsewhere."
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.
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