Isaiah Denis might have one of the more unexpected player-coach connections on North Carolina’s roster.
Not Nikola Jokic. Not Jamal Murray. Bones Hyland.
During his preseason press conference Thursday, Denis explained that Hyland was one of the Denver Nuggets players who stood out to him while Michael Malone was coaching in the NBA. Denis loved the energy Hyland could inject into a game and the way the crowd reacted when the explosive guard checked in.
So when Malone became North Carolina’s head coach, Denis immediately recognized the connection. Then it became personal.
During an offseason meeting with Malone, Denis and his mother discussed his admiration for Hyland. Malone saw similarities himself; enough that when he subsequently encountered Denis working out, the coach greeted him with a simple new nickname:
“What up, ‘Bones?’”
For Denis, the moment clearly meant something. But the more interesting question for Carolina is whether the nickname provides a glimpse into how Malone views the sophomore guard.
Denis isn’t suggesting he’s a carbon copy of Hyland. Hyland became known in Denver largely as a microwave scorer capable of creating offense quickly off the bench. Denis has different physical tools at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, and his college identity remains largely unwritten after a freshman season interrupted by a finger injury. But there is something appealing about the broader comparison: impact.
Denis watched Hyland enter games and immediately change their energy. That is something the Carolina sophomore could potentially provide as well; especially in a backcourt overflowing with different skill sets. And Denis supplied another particularly interesting detail Thursday: Malone has been using him at point guard. That’s noteworthy.
Carolina added several accomplished perimeter players during the offseason, including Terrence Brown, Matt Able and Neoklis Avdalas. Denis doesn’t necessarily need to become one of UNC’s primary scorers to earn meaningful minutes. If he can handle the basketball, defend multiple perimeter positions, create for others and inject pace into a second unit, there could be a pathway to a valuable role. And perhaps that’s where the Hyland connection matters most.
Denis’ freshman season offered almost no opportunity to discover exactly what kind of college basketball player he could become. He appeared in only 10 games and played 33 total minutes, although he made half of his 14 field-goal attempts and half of his eight three-point attempts. Year 2 is essentially a fresh evaluation.
Malone brings an NBA background rooted in identifying roles and figuring out how different pieces complement one another. Denis believes that history matters. If Malone helped Hyland find success in Denver, Denis believes his new coach can similarly help unlock his own game. That doesn’t mean Isaiah Denis needs to become Bones Hyland. He needs to become the best version of Isaiah Denis. But if Malone keeps calling him “Bones,” Tar Heel fans might want to pay attention.
