NBA Draft 2019 Prospect Watch: Bruno Fernando

CHICAGO, IL – MAY 14: (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

After showcasing significant strides over his two seasons at the University of Maryland, sophomore big man Bruno Fernando is taking the next step by entering this year’s NBA Draft.

Returning for his sophomore season proved to be a very wise decision for University of Maryland big man Bruno Fernando, who declared for the upcoming NBA Draft at the conclusion of the Terrapins’ campaign this year.

Not only is this a significant step in Fernando’s basketball career, but it’s shaping up to be a momentous moment in his his homeland Angola as they’ve never produced an NBA draft pick from their country.

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With his name all but certain to be called either NBA commissioner Adam Silver or deputy commissioner Marc Tatum on draft night, Fernando credits the improvements he made at Maryland to making this a reality as he told Emily Giambalvo of the Washington Post late last month:

"“Coming out of Angola, being here for high school, I was never that player who’s the most talented one, the most skilled player,” Fernando said. “I was never the most talked-about player. I was never that.”"

It’s been a long road for Fernando to get to this point, but now with the draft less than two weeks away, he’ll be eager to show the journey he’s taken to get to the NBA will result in a long, fruitful stay in the years to come.

In his 34 appearances with Maryland this season, Fernando averaged 13.6 points on shooting splits of .607/.300/.779, 10.6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.9 blocks across 30 minutes per contest.

So without further ado, let’s break down the game of Bruno Fernando by looking at his strengths, weaknesses, where draft experts rate him and examine his potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks.