The Houston Rockets have been searching for a backup center to play behind second-year prospect Alperen Sengun, and they’re now turning to a familiar face in 23-year-old big man Bruno Fernando.
“The Rockets today announced they have re-signed center Bruno Fernando,” the team said in Tuesday’s press release. It continues:
The Rockets acquired Fernando as part of a trade with Boston on Feb. 10, 2022. He appeared in 10 games over the remainder of the season for Houston while averaging 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game. In a combined 30 games for the Rockets and Celtics last season, Fernando averaged 20.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes played.
Fernando scored in double-figures in four of his 10 games as a Rocket, while recording two double-doubles. He shot 70.7% from the floor for Houston, including 8-of-8 in 23 minutes of play vs. Dallas on March 11.
Fernando was originally the No. 34 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft following his sophomore season at the University of Maryland and spent his first two seasons with Atlanta.
Fernando, who turns 24 years old in August, is a 6-foot-9 big man who offers a more athletic alternative to 7-foot-3 veteran Boban Marjanović. Both are options for head coach Stephen Silas behind Sengun, who will start at center after the June trade that sent Christian Wood to Dallas.
Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available.
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