“Fan-favorite” Bol Bol and rookie “Bones” Hyland were the only guys to show up for Denver
Every single year at Summer League, there is one “fan-favorite” player that people love for whatever reason and this year, that player is Bol Bol on the Denver Nuggets. Honestly, it is very easy to see why people love Bol so much because he not only stands 7’2”, but he can do a little bit of everything on the court.
From scoring in the paint, to stepping out on the perimeter and knocking down shots, to obviously being able to rebound on both ends of the court, Bol Bol is able to help give his team an edge as an “x-factor” and that is what he did on Tuesday. While he went for 26 points and 9 rebounds, the rest of the Nuggets squad just did not show up, resulting in them getting pummeled by the Boston Celtics.
Rookie Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland made his Summer League debut for Denver and he actually looked really good as well. Not only does he play with a very high motor, but unlike most guys, he is able to hang on to the basketball and not turn it over like most out-of-control, high-motor players do.
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He did turn the ball over three times in this game against the Celtics, but two of these three turnovers came off of his teammates either dropping the pass thrown to them or not being in the right position. So basically, Hyland really only had one turnover in my books.
Not only does he make everyone around him better, but “Bones” Hyland is not afraid from challenging anybody one-on-one when he has the ball. Whether it was against Payton Pritchard or someone else on the Celtics’ roster, time and time again Hyland drove down the lane and was able to make a play for his team. He wound up finishing the game with 16 points and 7 assists, making for a very strong Summer League debut for the young Nuggets guard.
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They may not win Summer League this year, but the Nuggets have two young pieces in Bol Bol and Nah’Shon Hyland that will definitely be integrated into the lineup at some point during the 2021-22 season. With Denver needing depth behind MVP Nikola Jokic and with Jamal Murray being out, both Bol and Hyland could very well be in the opening day rotation for head coach Michael Malone and the Denver Nuggets.
