Though veteran center Enes Freedom was waived after Houston’s deadline trade with Boston, Rockets GM Rafael Stone says the current plan is to keep newly acquired big man Bruno Fernando around.
Just 23 years old, Fernando is much younger than Kanter, and that upside could make him a more valuable experiment to the rebuilding Rockets. A 6-foot-9 big, Fernando was drafted No. 34 overall in the 2019 NBA draft, but he has played only sparingly in the league since then.
In extremely limited playing time over portions of three NBA seasons (109 total games), the Angola native has averaged 2.8 points (49.8% FG) and 2.7 rebounds in 9.1 minutes. In Friday’s post-deadline press conference, here’s what Stone said regarding Fernando and the Rockets:
He’s another big guy, and obviously with Daniel (Theis) going out… we do have Usman (Garuba), who is recovering from his wrist surgery, and hopefully he’ll be back, soon. But he (Fernando) does give us depth at that position.
He’s a young, really athletic guy. He was a high draft pick and hasn’t really had a full-fledged opportunity in the NBA. This gives us a chance to get to know him, and him a chance to get to know us. And we’ll learn more.
He seems like a really nice guy. All the reports out of Boston were that he’s a great. So, we’ll just see. I think that’s the real answer with him. I don’t pretend to know as much about his game as Dennis (Schroder), but that’s largely because he hasn’t had the opportunity. We pride ourselves on doing our homework and making sure we explore having every avenue, so we do look forward to getting to know him.
Bruno Fernando at #Rockets practice today. pic.twitter.com/sZH1FGGEVO
— Cayleigh Griffin (@cayleighgriffin) February 12, 2022
While Schroder was the deal’s primary asset for the Rockets from a talent perspective, the Celtics included Freedom and Fernando for financial reasons. For now, Fernando slides in as Houston’s third-string center behind starter Christian Wood and rookie Alperen Sengun, which had been Theis’ primary role for much of the previous two months.
Fernando received longer playing time this season with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate. In those games, the University of Maryland product did show some promise, averaging 13.8 points (66.7% FG), 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks in only 23.1 minutes.
To temporarily fit in all three of Schroder, Freedom, and Fernando, the Rockets released Armoni Brooks and DJ Augustin in conjunction with the trade sending Theis to Boston. Houston has yet to indicate what it plans to do with the open roster spot from waiving Freedom.
