2019 NBA Draft: 4 Reasons Atlanta Hawks Should Draft Bruno Fernando
By Dallin Duffy
Fierce Rebounder
The main draw of Bruno Fernando is his aggressive and effective rebounding.
He pulled down 10.6 a game last season, including 2.9 offensive boards. This is where his previously mentioned athleticism along with his strength pay off, with the ability to get past any box out attempt.
He is very violent at times while crashing the glass which could lead to some problems early in his career, but is also very good on occasion.
Last season the Atlanta Hawks ranked 4th in the league in offensive rebounds per game, and adding Bruno would be only strengthening that part of their game.
Once again comparing him to the other centers the Atlanta Hawks could consider at 8, 10 or 17, Fernando’s 12.8 per 36 ranked higher than Jaxson Hayes’ 7.7, Bol Bols 11.6 and Goga Bitadze’s 9.7 as well as Missouri’s Jontay Porter who pulled down 10 per 36.
He is shorter than all of those, which is interesting, but more than makes up for it with his leaping and ripping through the opponents’ fellow big men.
Even though he enters the 2019 NBA Draft as a sophomore, he is still only 20 years of age and can even improve on his rebounding game, which should be scary to the other 29 teams who draft on him.