2019 NBA Mock Draft: Full lottery impact on the first round

Age: 20
Height, Weight: 6-foot-10, 240 pounds
Slash Line: .607/.300/.779
Season Averages: 13.6 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.9 BPG, 0.1 3PM

Another first-round exit will have the Oklahoma City Thunder changing the pieces around Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams. They have the talent to make a playoff run, but the Western Conference’s depth put them on the wrong end of series, including against the Portland Trail Blazers in April.

The Thunder have areas of need, and they may require another center to back up Adams. Nerlens Noel did an effective job, but he can become a free agent this summer. If so, Oklahoma City can seek a controllable player on a rookie-scale deal like Bruno Fernando.

At 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, the Maryland product has the NBA body to work against stronger competition. That frame and subsequent power can work under the boards and for the occasional offensive move around the basket.

Shot blocking is not Fernando’s top attribute, however, which teams look for from their man in the middle. 1.9 from college will be difficult to match as a backup, barring injury to Adams, but if he hovers around one per game as a pro, it can work long term.

For whoever takes Fernando in this range, it’s as a backup or a reserve, and that is fine. This is a big body to plug into a lineup for 15-to-20 minutes per game and spell the starting center for the next decade, which is enough to survive in the NBA.