NBA Draft 2019: Mock Draft 3.0

Bruno Fernando, an Angolan-born center, is the most physically impressive big man in this draft. He fits the mold of an ideal NBA center at 6’10,” 240 pounds with a 7’4” wingspan, and has exceptional athleticism for at his size. His 29.5-inch vertical was the third best among centers at the Combine and he posted the fastest times for his position in both the shuttle run and three-quarter sprint.

Fernando does a lot of important things well that you would hope for in a center like rebounding (10.6/gm), running the floor, and passing out of the post. He is an exceptional scorer, capable of finishing with finesse, shaking the rim off a lob pass, or stepping out and knocking down jumpers from 15 to 18 feet. He rarely attempted from beyond the arc, but he has a pure shooting stroke and made over 70% of his free-throws in two seasons at Maryland, so he should be able to develop a three-point shot in the NBA.

Growing up in Angola, he was exposed to basketball at a later age than most, so he is still a work in progress in certain phases of the game, particularly on defense. He did improve significantly from over two seasons in college, but even late last year, Fernando struggled guarding pick-‘n’-rolls, protecting the rim, and anticipating when to leave his man and slide to play help defense. He also found himself in foul trouble too often from biting on shot, getting out of position on defense, or reaching.

Fernando worked out for the Hornets in late May, they have a history of taking raw athletic big men (Bismack Biyombo, Noah Vonleh) and with Biyombo playing on a $17 million expiring contract, adding a young center with high upside that may need a year to develop makes a lot of sense.