NBA Draft 2019: Under the radar big men performers in Summer League

There were several frontcourt players outside the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft who made an impression in the Summer League. Here’s a look at some notable former college stars.

There’s a bit of a ritual in the NBA Draft every year at the start of the second round. Everyone looks at the best remaining available players, and there’s a list of guys who were extremely productive or even outright stars during their college careers. But for various reasons, like age limited upside or holes in their game that look to be difficult to overcome in the NBA, they fall out of the first round and find themselves fighting for a spot on a roster. And whether it’s a second round pick without a guaranteed contract or an undrafted free agent looking to catch on, the NBA Summer League is their first, and sometimes only, chance to make an impression.

Summer league has been the jumping off point for many surprise contributors, both on rebuilding teams, like Mitchell Robinson last year, or on contenders, like Jordan Bell or Fred Van Vleet. This is a rundown of just a few of the rookies who made an impression on fans and teams alike. Today we’re looking at six notable big men, with guards and wings to follow in the coming days.

Bruno Fernando, Atlanta Hawks (#34 overall, Maryland)

After two years at Maryland, Fernando has started all three games he appeared for the Hawks in Las Vegas, playing over 26 minutes per game. He wasn’t a massive factor on offense, shooting just 31% from the field, but he showed out on the defensive end. Averaging 1.3 steals and over three blocks per game, Fernando’s physical tools and growing instincts as a rim protector will help him get on the floor early. Despite the shooting struggles, it’s very easy to envision Fernando becoming a frequent target on lobs once he’s in a real NBA offense, and he didn’t with a passer near the level of Trae Young in summer league. He may not have the defensive switchability to be a full-time closer in the NBA, but you can see him becoming an effective as a front court partner for rising big man John Collins in spurts. With a three-year guaranteed contract, Fernando will have a chance to grow into a piece of the Hawks young core.

Daniel Gafford, Chicago Bulls (#38 Overall, Arkansas)

Gafford was one of the most surprising players in Vegas, excelling as a rebounder and rim protector. He opened his summer league career with a 21-point, ten rebound, four block performance. The Bulls saw enough to sign Gafford to a four-year contract after that game, and he responded to that with six points, eight rebounds and six blocks against the Pelicans on, followed by a 20 point, 10 rebound performance against the Hornets. The Bulls have Lauri Markennan and Wendell Carter Jr. entrenched as their bigs of the future, but not much in the way of veteran help behind them so Gafford will have a chance to be the full-time backup center in Chicago this season.

Tacko Fall, Boston Celtics, (Undrafted, UCF)

Fall was, unsurprisingly, a fan favorite, eliciting cheers every time he checked in and even boos when he was taken out while in Vegas. Even in his modest stat line (12.6 MPG, 7.2 PPG,  4.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 77% FG), you can see the outline of an effective rim protector on defense and an opportunistic putback machine on offense. Celtics Director of Player Personnel Austin Ainge told ESPN during one broadcast that they made the former UCF center a major priority after the draft, and the waiving of former first round pick Guerschon Yabusele should open up more minutes during the season for Tacko, giving him a chance to entrench himself in a rotation thin on proven bigs.

Dean Wade, Cleveland Cavaliers (Undrafted, Kansas State)

Wade, playing in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, has displayed a skillset commensurate with a modern NBA big, including a pair of games where he went 2 of 5 from three. The Cavs are rebuilding and have drafted guards in the lottery the last two years. That creates opportunity in the frontcourt, and Wade has parlayed that into a two-way deal he signed Wednesday, solidifying himself with a chance to become a regular rotation guy in the NBA, if he shows he can rebound and defend his position well enough.

Marques Bolden, Cleveland Cavaliers (Undrafted, Duke)

Bolden signed for summer league with the Cavs, and immediately showed out in Utah, scoring 10 points on 5-5 shooting to go with eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in a start. Since then, he hasn’t captured that level of all around success, but has started in every summer league game he’s appeared in, including a 13-point outing against New Orleans. Bolden has definitely shown potential, and the roster for Cleveland is definitely in flux, but at this point it seems most likely that Bolden’s NBA dreams will start with the Canton Charge in the G-League, with a potential chance for a late season call up, assuming the Cavs are earnestly tanking.

Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves (Undrafted, LSU)

Reid, the former 5 star recruit who played a key role in LSU reaching the Sweet 16 this year, signed a two-way deal with the Timberwolves shortly after the draft. Reid started every game the Wolves in their run to a second place finish in Vegas. He showed real flashes as an outside shooter, going 8 for 21 (38%) from deep in seven games. Ideally, he’d be a little more of a dive threat off the pick and roll, just to help diversify offensively, but his issues defensively, where he looked a half step behind at times, were more concerning.

Besides Karl-Anthony Towns, the wolves have only Jordan Bell and Gorgui Dieng on the roster for big men, so if that three-pointer is real and he gets his bearings to be capable of protecting the rim, you can see him becoming a useful backup center to a Minnesota team looking to push for the playoffs.