Clippers news: Bones Hyland injured in preseason game against Nuggets as he is helped off the court
LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue was thrilled with Bones Hyland’s improvement in the offseason. He said that the team expects more and bigger things from him in the upcoming season. Hyland was penciled in to be Russell Westbrook’s main backup or backcourt partner, depending on the situation. The preseason has shown that he should be more than ready for the task Lue has asked of him.
Hyland, though, suffered an unfortunate left ankle injury against the Denver Nuggets in the Clippers’ final preseason game. The said injury was just unfortunate as the point guard had an impressive first half versus the defending champs.
After the game’s first 24 minutes, he already had 20 points, five assists without a single turnover and two steals. He finished the night with 25 points, hitting 10-15 field goal attempts to go with seven rebounds and six assists in three quarters of action.
When Bones Hyland fell to the floor and grabbed his ankle, former teammates Nikola Jokic and Peyton Watson stood by him. Russell Westbrook also came over to check on him. Eventually, he was helped by trainers to get up and return to the locker room.
Test results on Hyland’s ankle came out negative. Andrew Greif had this to report on his status:
“From what I've gathered on Bones Hyland's injury, there is some optimism that the ankle injury might not be serious enough to miss games. Clippers don't play again until Wednesday's season opener.”
The LA Clippers will open the 2023-24 season on their home floor against the revamped Portland Trail Blazers on October 25. It remains to be seen if Hyland will be in uniform for the game.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will have to help with the playmaking duties until Bones Hyland returns
Tyron Lue will give the primary playmaking duties to former MVP Russell Westbrook. The coach raved about Westbrook’s leadership, energy and competitive fire in the offseason. He will count on the former assists champ to be the team’s engine on offense.
The LA Clippers don’t have too much depth after Westbrook and Hyland in the point guard position. Terance Mann handled some playmaking work in the past but he wasn’t able to consistently put in a good shift.
If Hyland isn’t 100% healthy to start the season, Lue could rely on his superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to help Russell Westbrook. The two are naturally good passers, but they will have to do more to help the team on that end.
George averaged 5.1 assists per game last season while Leonard had 3.9 APG. The LA Clippers should be just fine with their playmaking until Bones Hyland’s return.