Hyland couldn’t attend Harden’s minicamp in Arizona and had been buried on the depth chart. But Harden and Hyland had lockers next to each other on almost every road trip. Hyland said that he and Harden clicked even before this season. “The first time I met him, we just became very close,” Hyland told The Athletic. Even with Hyland itching for a chance to show what he can do, he credits Harden for giving him the perspective he needs to get through the season. “Just being with him, just being close to him, it’s been a blessing for me,” Hyland said. “Because when he first came into the league, he was a sixth man. He had to work his way up to the person that he is today. He knows the grind, he knows everything. It takes one opportunity, just like he was offered. And you got to take it, and you got to go with it, and you got to make it count. So that’s something that he’s been telling me, stay ready for my opportunity, you never know when it’s coming. It could be here, it could be somewhere else.” -via New York Times / February 11, 2025
