- Position: Center
- Age: 23
- Height: 7’3
- Entering 1st NBA Season
- Country: Cape Verde
Walter “Edy” Tavares #22 2014-2015 Statistics (with Herbalife Gran Canaria)
- 8 points per game
- 7.9 rebounds per game
- 1.8 blocks per game
- 58.3 percent field goal percentage
- 62.8 percent free-throw percentage
- 22 minutes per game
2014-2015 Season Recap
The Atlanta Hawks selected Walter “Edy” Tavares with the 43rd overall pick during the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. He was the first player from Cape Verde to be selected in the NBA Draft. Rather than coming over right away, Tavares elected to stay with his Spanish League team.
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Tavares spent the 2014-2015 season with Herbalife Gran Canaria where he continued to put up impressive numbers. Tavares is a pick and roll machine and has become very adept and rolling toward the basket and finishing lobs with thunderous dunks. He’s also an exceptional rebounder and has the tools to become an outstanding rim protector.
Of course, all that performance occurred overseas in a lesser league. Adjusting to life in the NBA may be difficult for Tavares. Still, his toolset is intriguing. At 7-foot-3, with a wingspan of 7-foot-9, it must be terrifying for a point guard to see him lurking under the basket.
After the season with Gran Canaria it was time for Tavares to make his NBA dreams come true. That started at the 2015 NBA Summer League. In six games Tavares averaged 7.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and a whopping 2.8 blocks per game on 56.3 percent shooting. He also shot 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, a significant improvement for him.
After the Summer League season he officially signed a multi-year deal with the Hawks. Mike Budenholzer was appreciative of the job the Gran Canaria organization did developing him.
"“We followed Edy closely the past two seasons with Gran Canaria and are excited to officially have Edy as a member of our team,” Hawks president of basketball operations and head coach Mike Budenholzer said in a statement. “We would like to thank the coaches and executives of Gran Canaria as they played a significant role in Edy’s development and we look forward to continuing his improvement in our player development program.”"
No more Gran Canaria for Edy. The 2015-2016 season would be Tavares’ first as an NBA player.
2015-2016 Season Preview
Tavares’ first ever NBA preseason is off to a nice start. He played 11 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 7th, scoring 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting. A point per minute and he also grabbed 4 rebounds? That’s one hell of a debut.
Two nights later against the New Orleans Pelicans he was back at it, shooting 3-for-5 from the floor with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Sure, he shot a dismal 2-for-6 from the free-throw line, but that’s to be expected. 7-foot-3 centers aren’t typically known as exceptional free-throw shooters. If he can match the 62.8 percent number he had during his final season with Gran Canaria the Hawks will be happy.
In a way Tavares is a blank canvas. At least as an NBA prospect. He’s young with exciting physical tools, but he still needs some NBA years under his belt before he can nail down significant minutes in an NBA rotation. It’s one thing to be talented, it’s another to be able to successfully navigate an 82 game NBA season. Learning how to play pick and roll defense can be tricky for young centers, so until he masters Mike Budenholzer’s defensive scheme expect a few bumps in the road for Tavares.
Here’s what Hawks assistant coach Kenny Atkinson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his development over the summer.
"“This is just the feedback I’m getting from him, I think the pace of the game is so different than Europe and he is just adjusting to the pace, number one, and then adjusting to what we are doing,’ Atkinson said. “He forgot a lot of what we are doing last year. His team in Europe was playing a totally different pick-and-roll coverage. But we are on him. We are watching film with him. I think it’s pace and figuring out what we are doing. I was excited. He made a few plays at the end of the game. He’s got to be smarter about not fouling when the other team is in the bonus. It’s a great learning opportunity for him. What is better than this for him?”"
It’s easy to imagine the Hawks and their exceptional player development staff molding him into a rim protecting, pick and roll finishing, rebound gobbling beast that averages a double-double and close to 3 blocks per game. That’s the pie in the sky scenario. It’s certainly possible, but few players seem to reach their full potential. If he gets anywhere close to that by the time he reaches his prime the staff will have done their job.
If everything eventually clicks the Hawks may have their center for the future, in the event that Al Horford (but hopefully not) or Tiago Splitter decide to finish out their NBA careers elsewhere.
Next: Kent Bazemore in the Starting Five?
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