How Bones Hyland Can Make the Timberwolves' Bench Unit Click

Bones Hyland isn't concerned about making the Timberwolves' roster this coming season, a stark difference from where things stood 365 days ago.

Seemingly on his last leg in the NBA, Hyland found himself in an uphill battle for a spot on the team, let alone in the rotation with second-year guard Rob Dillingham a year ago. Owning duplicative skill sets, it would be hard to see a world in which the locker room and defensive leash were big enough for the two of them. The difference was the fact that the Wolves invested light-years more in Dillingham than they did in Hyland.

But here we all sit. It's August, and Dillingham finds himself on the Bulls, while Hyland figures into a major role off the bench for a Wolves team that needs players to step up in that area this coming season.

And he earned it.

Bones Hyland's potential impact off the Timberwolves' bench

Hyland won the hearts of Wolves fans with his redemption story in working his way into the rotation last season, paired with his famous "Skelly Celly", all flanked by the "Twin Turbos" tandem he formed after the deadline with Ayo Dosunmu as two players who play at a fast pace.

Bones Hyland nasty transition pass to Ayo Dosunmu for the layup pic.twitter.com/5HgrW7H5ah
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) March 18, 2026

His brand of basketball can be characterized as a lightning rod.

Prone to scoring 25 points or five on the same number of shots any given night, much of Hyland's comeback story was written at the hands of playing in a role where he touches the ball a lot and pushes pace in transition.

On the other hand, playing next to guards who didn't prefer that style as much, Hyland looked a little more out of place.

When he was on the floor with Anthony Edwards, the pair posted a minus-2.8 net rating in 317 minutes. In the 860 minutes Hyland was on the floor and Edwards was on the bench, he posted a 6.9 net rating. Obviously, much of that comes against opposing bench players, but it's a stark contrast hard to ignore. Hyland also spoke openly last season that it's easy to get tentative when playing next to a ball-dominant offensive alpha like Edwards.

On paper, his skill set should mesh well. Hyland shot 40% on catch-and-shoot three-pointers last season, good for third best on the team. He's also a threat to attack the rim, posting the seventh-most attempts inside of five feet last season in a year that he was not in the rotation at the beginning of the season. Whatever it may be, the hurdle is there for Hyland to clear in playing with players who have the ball in their hands in order to be dominant in a game.

Switching things up

Enter Terrence Shannon Jr. this season. Largely written off last season, battling injuries and wildly inconsistent in the minutes he got during the regular season, he flashed in the playoffs, with his role becoming bigger and more ball-dominant.

"We learned with TJ, that he's gotta have the ball in his hands," head coach Chris Finch said (h/t WolvesClips) after the Wolves' Game 1 win in San Antonio, in which Shannon posted 16 points. "Silly me, we played him out of the corner mostly during the season, but he's way better with the ball in his hands at the top of the floor."

“We’ve learned, with [TJ Shannon], he’s gotta have the ball in his hands.

Silly me, we played him out of the corner most of the season, but he’s way better with the ball in his hands at the top of the floor”

- Chris Finch on TJ Shannon pic.twitter.com/e0BqNSfh1t
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 1, 2026

Not that Shannon is Edwards (perhaps he's the scout team version), but he certainly needs the ball in his hands in order to be the most effective version of himself. Because of that, Hyland, who finds himself higher up heading into the season in the bench hierarchy than Shannon, will need to be the catalyst in making the bench unit work. He will need to work on the ball himself, navigate off it more effectively, and find confidence when he may not be the one initiating the offense.

A lot of space was opened up for younger guys to have large roles off the bench this season. Not only will Shannon play a larger role, but Jaylen Clark and Joan Beringer are slated for promotions as well.

How it all works together just be dependent on the step Hyland can take heading into the year.

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