#30. Milwaukee Bucks — Bruno Fernando
Last in this 2019 NBA Mock Draft but first in terms of regular season record are the resurgent Milwaukee Bucks. At #30 overall, the Bucks don’t have a ton of needs positionally though the team’s new folk hero Brook Lopez (aka Splash Mountain) could potentially leave in free agency.
With the final pick of the first round, the Bucks could opt for big men Bruno Fernando.
Fernando, much like PJ Washington in the upper tier of this mock draft, experienced a huge jump from his freshman to sophomore year. Couple that with a truly comically vast frame (6-foot-10, 240 pounds, railroad-tie arms) and you have the makings of a high-upside player that could potentially get minutes in his rookie year for a Bucks team with high hopes going forward.
The chiseled Fernando showed excellent chops as a passer in dribble hand-offs and in short roll scenarios, and he shot 45.8 percent from the midrange in his sophomore year, per The Stepien’s shot chart tool.
Though multiple mock drafts do not feature Fernando in the first round, it seems likely that Fernando falls out of the first and into the second as teams prioritize wings over the “dime a dozen” stigma of big men in today’s game.
Still though, Fernando has some interesting wrinkles to his game that make him more than just a big man. If the Bucks were to take him, that faith in Fernando’s ability would likely pay dividends down the line.
That’s it and that’s all! What do you think of this mock draft? Should the Atlanta Hawks have drafted different prospects? Let us know in the comments! As always keep it locked to Soaring Down South for plenty more 2019 NBA Draft coverage. Thanks for reading!