After two years of dominating college basketball, Bruno Fernando is officially an NBA player after making his debut in the Atlanta Hawks’ 117-100 victory over the Detroit Pistons Thursday. Fernando came off the bench and logged 14 minutes, serving as the backup to fellow Terp Alex Len. 

Fernando scored his first basket late in the second quarter, backing down Derrick Rose before laying the ball in.

He would later show off his range, splashing home a three-pointer off an assist from another former Maryland teammate, Kevin Huerter.

Fernando had one other field goal and went 3/6 on the night, with that made three being his lone attempt from deep.

After initially struggling to contain Andre Drummond in the first half, Fernando improved in the second half and showed a lot of defensive potential. He did not block any shots, but he brought in three rebounds, with two being on the defensive end. He also helped limit Drummond to only two field goals in the second half.

Although it was not a world-beating debut, it was still a very promising one that Fernando can easily build upon. 

Fernando’s fellow Terps, Len and Huerter, struggled in the game, though Huerter is still recovering from a lingering knee injury and Len was facing one of the better centers in the NBA in Drummond.