Hyland looks comfortable in his role with a great supporting cast.
Before Friday's matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, Bones Hyland was asked at shootaround whether he felt like he had found a home in Minnesota.
His answer didn't require much thought.
"Yeah, for sure. It definitely does feel like that," Hyland said. "Just for me, even last year when I came here, man, they came and they took me in with open arms. Finchy's first words to me last year was get used to everyone here. We're going to get it rolling next year. So, that was dope to just hear. But everyone took me in with open arms, man. I definitely feel it's home."
From Journeyman to Spark Plug
Hyland has suited up for Denver, the Los Angeles Clippers, and Atlanta before landing in Minnesota on a two-way deal late last season.
The Timberwolves saw enough in those four appearances to bring him back on a one-year minimum contract in September, and it's turned out to be one of the savviest low-cost moves of the offseason.
His numbers this season, 7.5 points and 2.6 assists per game on 39.2% three-point shooting, don't jump off the page.
But Hyland's impact goes deeper.
He's embraced the role of microwave scorer off the bench, the guy who checks in and immediately changes the energy of a game.
After hitting a shot, he'll turn to the crowd and shake his hands.
"Each team needs a guy that comes off the bench and provides a spark," Hyland said after Wednesday's blowout win over Utah. "I'm blessed to be able to do that each and every night."
Stepping Up When It Matters Most
That spark has been especially critical with Anthony Edwards sidelined due to right knee inflammation.
Edwards, averaging a career-high 29.5 points this season, was ruled out for at least one to two weeks after an MRI on Tuesday.
But the Timberwolves haven't flinched.
They've won back-to-back games over Phoenix and Utah since Edwards went down, and Hyland has been a major reason why.
He poured in 22 points and five assists against the Suns and followed it up with 18 points off the bench against the Jazz in Minnesota's 147-111 rout.
Randle called him a catalyst for the turnaround, praising both his scoring punch and defensive effort.
Why There's Still Reason to Believe
Minnesota sits at 43-27 and holds the fourth seed in the Western Conference heading into Friday's game.
They've gone 8-4 this season without Edwards, and seven of their last 10 wins without him have come by double figures.
Randle has averaged 27.3 points on 53 percent shooting in those games.
Ayo Dosunmu, acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline, has been stellar as the fill-in starter.
This is also a team that has played in the last two Western Conference Finals.
Last season at this same point, they were sitting eighth before going on a 28-14 tear to close the year.
Head coach Chris Finch isn't panicking. "We have a pretty experienced seven, eight guys," Finch said. "Ant is obviously a ceiling raiser, but we've got good players and we've got experienced guys, too."
Get Edwards healthy for the playoffs, keep stacking wins, and let players like Hyland, Dosunmu, and Randle build chemistry that makes teams dangerous in April.
If Wednesday's 147-point outburst proved anything, it's that this Timberwolves team is far more than a one-man show.
And for Bones Hyland, who spent years bouncing around the league looking for a place that believed in him, it's all coming together at the perfect time.