National Basketball Association

Atlanta Hawks: Could this be Walter Tavares' Year?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Walter Tavares has taken the road less traveled to the NBA. Going into the 2016-17 season, though, he remains in the Atlanta Hawks rotation.

Walter “Edy” Tavares is a bit of an unknown in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks. Born in Cape Verde, Tavares did not even touch a basketball until his late teens, in 2010. Now 24 years old, he was taken by the Hawks with the 43rd pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Standing at 7’3”, the center made enough of an impression and showed enough potential in those four years to be drafted. Tavares played with various teams in the Spanish and European leagues before being selected and he has spent time in the NBA D-League since then, always seeming to impress.
We’ve touched on it before, but could the 2016-17 season be the one where we see the Cape Verdean big man make a real impact in the NBA, though?

Skills and Weaknesses

When you look at Tavares, it is immediately clear what his main strengths are going to be. That leads you to comparisons with Rudy Gobert and their skill-sets are somewhat similar.
Edy is a giant. He towers over other players to pull down boards, dunk the ball, and swat shots. That is how he has made his name in Europe. He has even shown it in both the D-League and in his impressive but limited experience with the Hawks.

Jan 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives against Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) and center Walter Tavares (22) in the first quarter of their game at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Rebounds and Shot Blocking

In terms of rebounding, Tavares has all of the tools he needs. Beyond his height and 7’9” wingspan, his huge hands and intelligence on the box-out get him rebounds on both ends. Tavares has shown both agility and a willingness to throw his body about in the paint and that should translate to the NBA. In 11 games with the Hawks last season, Edy averaged 1.9 rebounds in limited minutes but, when you scale it to per 36 minutes, that number becomes 10.4. Not bad, huh?

The big man from Cape Verde’s main strength, though, has to be shot-blocking. He averaged 3.3 blocks in the D-League, good for 2nd in the league, but he put up three blocks per 36 minutes in the NBA too. Tavares is a presence to be feared in the paint and his shot-blocking is sublime. That causes its own problems, though. The big man looks for the block every time he possibly can and that negatively affects his defensive contributions on a team. His defensive I.Q., on the whole, could be stronger, perhaps because of this. More experience and coaching should help him combat that eagerness and blocking should also be a strength in a bigger, more athletic NBA.

Offense

On offense, Tavares is very much limited. Make no mistake, if you give him the chance, he will throw the hammer down. At his size, Tavares barely has to jump to perform a standing dunk and it is the staple of his offense. Whether it is a put-back, an alley-oop or just a move in the paint, Edy is superb at slamming the ball through the hoop. Elsewhere, his offense struggles a little. His jump shot is not particularly reliable, even if he can make them, and his rate from the NBA free throw line is bad. Real bad.

Dec 29, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Walter Tavares (22) and Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) battle for a rebound during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Physicals

In terms of physical attributes, Tavares is a real mixed bag. His size is obvious a massive plus and brings with it a wealth of talents and potential. In fact, there are only three players of similar size in the NBA. Both Kristaps Porzingis and Boban Marjanovic can match 7’3” but none others can. Edy is not the strongest for his size, however. At 290lbs, Marjanovic is 30 pounds heavier and that is why he has been a beast on the boards. Playing NBA full-time, Tavares could struggle to hold his own against stronger opponents. He can bulk up more, for sure. We have already seen quite astonishing muscle gain from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert, so it is not beyond him.

It is worth remembering, though, that Gobert still manages to be an efficient rebounder despite being (before now) slender. How he does that is through agility and that is a gift Tavares has too.
For his size and weight, Edy is very nimble, even if he does not have tremendous speed. The big man’s leaping is, perhaps, his biggest weakness: he barely even gets off the floor. If you tried to slip a piece of paper underneath him as he leapt, you might struggle. Against the smaller and less athletic players in Europe and the D-League, this weakness didn’t matter so much. The NBA, though, is full of ultra-athletic players at every position and that might prove to be his biggest weakness. You can’t coach vertical. (Much).

Jan 23, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Lorenzo Brown (41) drives the ball against Atlanta Hawks center Walter Tavares (22) and guard Dennis Schroder (17) in the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Status on the Team

In reality, Tavares finds himself in a difficult position on the Hawks rotation. He spent so much of his rookie season in the D-League for a reason and this year’s rotation is not much different. New signing Dwight Howard, Tiago Splitter, and Mike Muscala are certain to be ahead of the Cape Verdean center in the rotation. Howard is the obvious starter with Tiago Splitter as the back-up full of intangibles. Muscala offers range and Coach Budenholzer always seems to give Moose minutes.

Having said that, Tavares’ route into the rotation is clear but not guaranteed. Splitter has struggled with injuries recently and a setback there opens up the backup spot. Muscala gets the minutes but, if he does not show any development or struggles to make an impact, the Hawks have to turn their eyes to Tavares. If he can prove himself to have the necessary skill-set and development, Edy could quite easily move ahead of Muscala in the rotation or at least push the sweet-shooting big man to the power forward spot.

Jan 3, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) shoots over Atlanta Hawks center Walter Tavares (22) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. New York Knicks won 111-97. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Is this Tavares’ Year?

Probably not, but it is impossible to rule it out. He has already beaten the odds to get to where he is now. Tavares is already so well-developed and mature for a player who first played the game in 2010. His development won’t follow a normal trajectory, so his 24 years become misleading. Blessed with incredible length and a great frame, Edy is already a gifted rebounder, dunker, and shot-blocker. A route for him to enter the rotation and finally make an impact is already clear and within reach.
He already has the basic attributes an NBA center needs but he could be better. If he continues to refine and develop his game, addressing some of the issues that come with such a limited basketball experience, Tavares could begin to reach his potential. For Edy Tavares, this year could be the year.