in one. It’s very hard to go through and still deal with it, but it made me a wiser man, for sure.”

Hyland’s wise-beyond-his-years demeanor is masked only by his youthful approach to the game of basketball. He can’t contain his enthusiasm every time he steps on the court, flying from one end of it to the other, arms and legs whirling, in an attempt to make the right play.

“I always had contagious energy with a bright smile and just put a smile on people’s faces,” he said. “So, I got it from God.”

Hyland has carried that enthusiasm from the Delaware playground courts to the 2021 NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 26th overall pick, to the Clippers, the team he wanted to play for coming out of Virginia Commonwealth University, and now a spot in tonight’s NBA All-Star Rising Stars Challenge (6 p.m. PT, TNT) in Salt Lake City.

The Rising Stars Challenge is a showcase for some of the league’s top young talent, plus a few of the G League’s best players. Hyland, a second-year player, averaged 10.9 points and 2.8 assists in his two seasons with the Nuggets, and posted six points, four rebounds and two assists in his Clippers debut against Golden State on Tuesday.

“Obviously, it’s (Rising Challenge) always an honor but I feel like I belong there,” Hyland said. “I’m just thankful that I get to showcase my talents to the world again and you know and be back here. So, this is fun.”

In acquiring Hyland, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team got not only a good shooter off the dribble, but a playmaker who can run the floor. He compared him to former NBA point great and Clippers guard Lou Williams, who won three Sixth Man of the Year awards, and said he has the potential to become a solid point guard.

“He’s a whole lot more than just a scorer,” Frank said.

Frank said the organization “fell in love” with Hyland ahead of the 2021 draft. “He has an enigmatic personality. I think he’s going to be a fan favorite,” Frank said.

Clippers forward Marus Morris Sr. first met Hyland at an AAU game not far from his Philadelphia home when the young guard was 12 years old. He had asked a coach who the best player on his team was and that coach motioned for this little skinny kid to come forward.

“They was like ‘Bones’ and he came out from the back and he was like long, scrawny, like he didn’t say much,” Morris Sr. said. “But then I watched him play. He was cold, pretty good.”

Morris said he kept an eye on Hyland’s development as a player and they have remained close. Like brothers.

“He always had kind of that ‘it’ factor growing up and then he had the ‘Bones Hyland’ thing,” Morris Sr. said. “So, it kind of fit, you know what I’m saying?”

Hyland, whose real first name is Nah’Shon, has been called “Bones” since a childhood friend he met at the school gym decided he needed a nickname. Sizing him up, she called him “Bones.”

“She said ‘you kind of skinny, like you’re really skinny.’ Then she’s like, we’re going to call you ‘Bones.’ She just went with it,” Hyland said. “It just stuck with me ever since. It’s been a great name for me.”

Her nickname? Chicken. The two remain close friends.

After a tumultuous finish to his time with the Nuggets, Hyland said he loves the vibe within the Clippers’ locker room and is looking to establish himself on the court, namely at the point. He hopes to silence any talk of acquiring a veteran point guard.

“I want them to know that they don’t have to go out and look for another point guard,” Hyland said. “That’s something I want to provide because I can do that at a high level. I know faith and my work will show that as well, too. I can fill in that spot very well.”

Don’t bet against him. Hyland has overcome tougher challenges.