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NBA Draft: 2019 Mock 2.0: If the Dallas Mavericks land in top 4

By Kohl Rast

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Michigan State Spartans in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Michigan State Spartans in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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JACKSONVILLE, FL – MARCH 21: Bruno Fernando #23 of the Maryland Terrapins addresses the media after the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Belmont Bruins at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL – MARCH 21: Bruno Fernando #23 of the Maryland Terrapins addresses the media after the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament against the Belmont Bruins at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on March 21, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

. . Bruno Fernando. 20. 18. F/C. Maryland

The Maryland Terrapins went into the NCAA tournament as a six-seed, which normally wouldn’t mean too much if they hadn’t busted my bracket wide open in the first round. The Terps took down a very dangerous Belmont team in the first round, thanks in large part to the play of Bruno Fernando.

The Celtics would be making their third out of four selections at this point in the draft and honestly, there is almost no way they keep all these picks. For that reason, I went with a guy that has high upside, even though he plays the same position as P.J. Washington from earlier in the mock draft.

Fernando is a big guy with elite athleticism. At 6’10”, 240 lbs., Fernando can move with and without the ball really fluidly, making him a dangerous big man. He also is big enough to push people around in the middle, a trait that can get overlooked easily when making picks. His athleticism and size make him an excellent shot blocker as well.

Fernando could be a very good rebounder in the league, but he does not have a very polished offensive game at this point. He does not score a lot of points for a middle first round guy, but his defense and rebounding are so enticing, it would be hard to let him pass without at least taking a look.

Player Comparison: Serge Ibaka

Ibaka has developed a really solid offensive game, but aside from that, these guys are very similar. Serge came into the league as a defensive specialist and rebounder and played that role really well with the Thunder. He has been asked to do more on offense which has changed things up, but he is still a solid player in the league.

Next: Oklahoma City Thunder