Bruno Fernando
Though it might be surprising to see Bruno Fernando’s name so high on this list – especially considering where he has been mocked in our most recent full 2019 NBA Draft mock-ups – but according to reporting from The Athletic’s Chris Kircschner, the former Maryland Terrapin is indeed on the team’s radar at #10 overall.
Since Fernando is far lower on most draft boards, trading down with the #10 overall pick to take Fernando later on might make the most sense, but either way, Fernando’s interesting skill set is certainly worth a mention at #10 overall too.
First off, Fernando clearly looks like an NBA athlete with a massive, hulking frame and Popeye-sized arms. Fernando uses that bulk to nab defensive rebounds at a 27.5 percent clip and offensive rebounds at a 12 percent clip, per Bart Torvik.
Fernando uses his heft to nab easy buckets around the rim off putbacks and OREBs, as his 71.3 clip at the rim would indicate (also from Bart Torvik).
Across the board, Fernando grew by leaps and bounds in his second season as he showed fairly impressive passing chops in short roll situations and also leveraged his huge size to affect myriad shots on defense.
If the Atlanta Hawks were to take a swing on Fernando with the #10 overall pick, he would be reunited with his former college teammate, Kevin Huerter, as they both played for Maryland in the 2017-18 season.