The Atlanta Hawks are now 31-39 on the season. They are firmly entrenched in the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference standings, four games behind the Chicago Bulls and five games in front of the Brooklyn Nets. There are many reasons to consider this season another dud heading into the postseason, but there’s also the emergence of reserve center Bruno Fernando to consider. With 12 more regular season games to play, Fernando is looking like a solid reason to be positive about the future of this team.
A former second round draft pick of the Hawks in 2019, after leaving Atlanta following the 2020-2021 season, Fernando has played for the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets, and both times he has been in limited roles off the bench with the occasional spot start. This season he continues to come off the bench for the Hawks but in a much bigger way. He is averaging career highs in points per game (4.8), rebounds per game (4.2), and minutes per game (12.8).
During Friday night’s 132-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets at State Farm Arena, Fernando scored a career-high 25 points in 26 minutes and made 11 of his 14 shot attempts. “I just try to come in and do my job,” Fernando said during the postgame press conference. “I just try to find ways to make myself available.”
Fernando grabbed six rebounds during the Hornets game and after the game he credited playing behind Hawks starting center Clint Capela for learning how to offensive rebounds better. The 4.2 rebounds per game that he is averaging this season is also a career high.
The Hawks front office will have one less thing to worry about during the postseason with Fernando under contract for the 2024-2025 season ($2.7M) and with a club option for the 2025-2026 season ($2.8M), according to data provided by Spotrac.
“I’m going to continue to do as much as I can,” Fernando said after the game.
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