2019 NBA Draft: 4 Reasons Atlanta Hawks Should Draft Bruno Fernando
By Dallin Duffy
Sky-High Ceiling
As with any 2019 NBA Draft pick, the potential is untapped for Fernando. One of the reasons he could be falling down draft boards is his boom-or-bust nature, but I’d take his high ceiling any day.
His ability to score on NBA defenders will be a thing to monitor, and if he’s unable to adjust to the taller, quicker and just overall better opponents, he could be in trouble.
What is encouraging though is he’s shown great shot selection and discipline, even when being the first option in college. That should transition well when he takes on a role player position. Last season he took an average of 8.4 field goals in 30 minutes per game per Sports Reference.
If he’s motivated to adapt to the “modern NBA big” archetype and add a three pointer to his arsenal ( which he already hinted he could), his floor definitely rises, as does his ceiling.
Athletic bounds make up for his slightly undersized frame, and has real potential to be a defensive anchor fairly early in his career.
The rebounding is already there too as discussed, and if he’s able to put it all together he’ll be one of the biggest steals of this draft.
Next. All 6 Hawks Draft Picks After Nets Trade. dark
The Atlanta Hawks currently have 6 picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, three in each round, and while it’s looking more and more likely they’ll move up, they’ll still have a chance to select the big man, and for the reasons above, along with some others like his free throw and foul efficiency, I think Schlenk and co. should. (All stats from this article were from Sports Reference and Basketball Reference.)