Maryland has a quartet of former College Park hoops stars making noise in the NBA these days, with three of them playing for the Atlanta Hawks.
Rookie center Bruno Fernando, second-year wing Kevin Huerter, and seasoned veteran big man Alex Len all contribute to the Hawks in different capacities, and each has shown flashes of their upside so far this season. Meanwhile, fourth-year pro Jake Layman is a lone wolf in Minnesota and was having a breakout season for the Timberwolves before suffering a toe injury that has kept him out since mid-November.
TSR is tracking their success in the pros. Here’s what we’ve seen so far from Maryland alum in the NBA over the last week.
Kevin Huerter - SG - Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta played three games last week, winning two, and Huerter continued his recent hot streak in both victories. “Red Velvet” — as he’s often referred to as on Hawks’ social media — started his week Jan. 14 at home against the Phoenix Suns.
Huerter used the opportunity to have one of his best games of the season, scoring 23 points (just three off of his season-high) and ripping down a career-high 15 rebounds. Huerter’s previous career-high in boards was 10, so this was quite the aggressive performance on the glass by the second-year pro. Huerter rounded out his impressive night against the Suns with eight assists and a steal to help his team secure a 123-110 win.
Huerter followed up his big game against Phoenix with another nice outing Jan. 17 on the road in a 121-120 win over the San Antonio Spurs. In that game, he netted 18 points while hitting four three-pointers for the second consecutive game. Huerter also added two rebounds, two blocks, an assist and a steal to his totals against the Spurs.
Showing his immense upside early in the week, Huerter regressed on Saturday and scored just two points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field. He added two rebounds to his stat line, but it was an overall ineffective outing for the 6-foot-7 wing, who played just 24 minutes — his lowest since Dec. 15.
Bruno Fernando - C - Atlanta Hawks
After taking some personal time away from the team to be with his family as they grieve the loss of his mother, Fernando returned to the court for the Hawks last week and made contributions in the low-post for Atlanta on Friday and Saturday.
In the Hawks’ one-point win in San Antonio, Fernando was eased back into action with eight minutes played. But in his limited time, the Angola native scored three points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out an assist. The following night he upped his minutes to 18 and logged four points, three rebounds, and two steals for Atlanta. His minutes have fluctuated this season, but with Atlanta out of the playoff hunt, we should see Fernando’s minutes start to consistently be in the mid-to-high teens. A recent injury to fellow former Terp Alex Len has also opened the door a bit wider for Fernando.
Alex Len - C - Atlanta Hawks
Len was sidelined last week with a back injury and is currently doubtful for Atlanta’s game Jan. 20. He’s coming off five straight games with double-digit points and his minutes in the low-to-mid 20s. Once healthy, he will return to his role as a regular part of Atlanta’s frontcourt rotation.
Jake Layman - SF - Minnesota Timberwolves
Layman remains sidelined for Minnesota with turf toe. He has not played since mid-November, but it does appear that he could be inching closer to a return. Reports early last week were that Layman was spotted shooting prior to Tuesday’s practice. This is a good sign for the 6-foot-8 wing, who was acquired by the Timberwolves this offseason and was enjoying a breakout campaign before getting injured.