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Oct 4, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland (8) looks to pass during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Pechanga Arena. Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Can Bones Hyland push Rob Dillingham for Wolves' backup PG minutes?

Originally posted on Minnesota Timberwolves on SI
By Will Ragatz | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 6:43 PM ET

The Timberwolves' leading scorer in their impressive preseason-opening win over the Nuggets on Saturday was guard Bones Hyland, who they officially re-signed just a few weeks ago. It's only one preseason game, but there are a few reasons why it's worth at least discussing the possibility of Hyland cracking the Wolves' rotation this season, perhaps by pushing Rob Dillingham for the backup point guard role.

It should be noted that the Wolves chose Hyland over other options for guard depth, according to Jon Krawczynski. President of basketball operations Tim Connelly was in Denver when the Nuggets drafted Hyland 26th overall back in 2021, and there clearly seems to be a belief that the 25-year-old can contribute in the NBA.

Hyland certainly looked the part during Saturday's game in San Diego. He scored 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 23 minutes, hitting three of his four three-pointers and five of his six free throws against his former team. Hyland also had three rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a turnover. He used his length to get to the rim twice and hit a pair of stepback threes.

Bones Hyland 18-3-3-1 (5/8 FG, 5/6 FT) pic.twitter.com/OKCZSRAduz
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) October 5, 2025

Head coach Chris Finch seems impressed by what he's seen.

"What we love about Bones is we just need him to be who he is," Finch said on Monday. "He's a range shooter, can create his own shot, he's an underrated pick-and-roll player, I think he's an underrated playmaker. He's always been an explosive scorer, but he's got a ton of ball skill. We really needed him to pick up some playmaking duties and he's done a good job of that. ... He's a guy you can swing the ball to and he can make a 28-footer."

Hyland has proven in his career that he can by a dynamic offensive player. He averaged just over 10 points per game as a rookie with the Nuggets, earning a second team All-Rookie nod. He bumped his scoring to 11.8 points per game in a sophomore season split between Denver and the Clippers. He hasn't played as much over the past couple seasons, but Hyland has averaged an even 20 points per 36 minutes in his career on 40/36/85 shooting splits. He's scored at least 20 points on 19 occasions.

To be clear, Hyland has major question marks that have caused him to bounce around to three teams in four seasons and struggle to crack rotations in recent years. On offense, it comes down to efficiency, shot selection, and playmaking. And the broader concern might be his ability to hold up effectively on the defensive end of the floor.

"We're just on him all the time to keep fighting on defense," Finch said. "He's got long arms, I think he can really be better there and he's shown it."

Can Bones crack the rotation?

Hyland clearly faces an uphill battle to earn minutes on the Wolves this year if everyone is healthy. The top seven returning players are (in no order) Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo. Conley, who turns 38 this week, is probably the only member of that group without a guaranteed major role. Terrence Shannon Jr. is the heavy favorite to step in for Nickeil Alexander-Walker as the eighth member of the rotation.

But Finch has talked about wanting to play nine or even ten guys on most nights this season. That's where it could get interesting. Dillingham and Jaylen Clark are next in line in the backcourt. Rookie Joan Beringer could push for minutes in the frontcourt due to his defense. And then you can get to guys like Hyland, Joe Ingles, Leonard Miller, and whoever else makes the roster.

Is there a world where Hyland can jump ahead of Dillingham? It seems unlikely, given that the latter was the eighth overall pick last year, is just 20 years old, and could be a big part of the Wolves' future if he pans out. But it's not completely out of the question. Hyland is more proven at the NBA level and has a much longer wingspan than Dillingham, which theoretically helps him on defense.

Dillingham played 23 minutes in the preseason opener and had just seven points on 3 of 10 shooting, but he did lead the Wolves with nine assists (to four turnovers).

"It's mostly good," Finch said of Dillingham's second training camp. "A lot of good, some stuff to work on. The formula for Rob's pretty easy. Create pace, get to the paint, create for your teammates, be ready to make shots off the ball, particularly when you're playing out there alongside guys like Julius and Ant who are gonna have the ball in their hands a lot. Keep it simple and use your speed, which is what we need you to do and what you have naturally comes to you. He's such a really good passer. He had nine assists the other day. And he just has to keep playing like that. That's the type of player we really need."

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The discussion might not be as simple as pitting Dillingham and Hyland against each other for a rotation spot. Finch said the players in the 9th and 10th spots in the rotation could change on a night-to-night basis. There could room for both Dillingham and Hyland to have roles over the course of the season, especially if there are any injuries in the backcourt. Two other factors to watch are how much Clark plays and how big of a role the Wolves give Conley at age 38.

Hyland is almost certainly on the outside of the rotation looking in, as things currently stand. But if he keeps playing like he did on Saturday, he could earn his way into some sort of opportunity to see the floor in the regular season.