Walter Tavares and the Atlanta Hawks Front-Court Conundrum
This offseason, the Atlanta Hawks face the difficult decision of whether or not to retain Paul Millsap. During his tenure with the Hawks, Millsap has provided yeoman’s work on the offensive and defensive end, out-rebounding and out-scoring against much taller power forwards. His contributions for the Hawks since his signing in 2013 cannot be understated, and his efficiency on both ends of the floor is a perfect fit for Mike Budenholzer’s system.
That being said, Millsap is about to be 30 years old, and will command a significant raise with his impending free agency. Also, standing at only 6’8’’, Millsap is an undersized power forward whose lack of height and length was evidenced in the Eastern Conference Finals when matched up with the larger Tristan Thompson.
May 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) shoots the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
With DeMarre Carroll also an unrestricted free agent, the Hawks are in an unenviable position of having to make an important decision that will ultimately impact their future and the makeup of their team.
Do they re-sign Millsap to a max level deal and let DeMarre Carroll walk? Or do they let Millsap walk, re-sign Carroll and try to use the left-over cap space to improve the team’s depth?
If they let Millsap walk, how will it effect the chemistry of the team? These are all important decisions that the Hawks front office will have to make in the coming weeks.
With all the uncertainty surrounding the direction of the organization this offseason, an intriguing option remains and it concerns the Hawks 23-year-old, 7’3’’ prospect Walter Tavares.
Walter “Edy” Tavares completed his second year of play this past year for BC Gran Canarias in the Spanish La Liga ACB — the second best professional basketball league in the world.
When Tavares was drafted by the Hawks last season in the second round of the NBA Draft, he was considered a raw prospect with upside, despite lackluster offensive numbers. The Hawks hope was that he could be stashed internationally for a couple of years, allowing him to develop his offensive game before he potentially could make an impact for the NBA club.
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With the Hawks looking to get bigger, Tavares’s 7’9’’ wingspan would be a welcome addition to the Hawks frontline. There is no doubt that Tavares possesses the physical attributes that could help the Hawks in the long-run—the question is whether or not he is ready to be a contributor at the NBA level. This past season Tavares led the ACB League in rebounding at 8.1 boards per game and was second in the league at 1.7 rejections per game.
Playing in the second best league in the world, these are impressive numbers that most certainly would have aided the Hawks against the Cavaliers and the Brooklyn Nets this postseason. The importance of size and rebounding acumen cannot be discounted, as evidenced in the Eastern Conference Finals where the Hawks were completely demolished off the glass by Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov, giving the Cavs second chance opportunities. Tavares’s size would provide an immediate impact to the Hawks.
The big question and weakest component of Tavares’s game is on the offensive end. He averaged 7.8 points per game while getting to the line 2.1 times per game. These numbers aren’t atrocious by any means, but demonstrated a lack of offensive prowess and further need for offensive development.
Should Tavares’s seeming lack of offensive skills discourage the Hawks from bringing him over to Atlanta? In my opinion, it should be of little concern. The Hawks need a rim protector and second chance opportunities, and Tavares would provide those valuable contributions to the team. It would also give him a chance to develop while being exposed to a higher level of competition.
Even if Tavares was coming off the bench, he can learn a lot playing behind Al Horford, in a similar fashion that Dennis Schroder’s development has flourished while playing behind Jeff Teague.
Another potential issue of the Hawks bringing Tavares over is buying out his contract from Gran Canarias. Tavares signed a three-year deal with the club last offseason which could further complicate the situation. In all likelihood, the buyout from Gran Canarias would not cost a significant amount of money for the Hawks, and would provide them with another important piece.
If Tavares’s contract is bought out by the Hawks, his inclusion to the Hawks front-court will be a welcome one. He would provide valuable size coming off the bench, and perhaps as a starter if he continues to develop. This gives the Hawks some interesting options going into the offseason, and raises even more questions in regard to what direction they will take.