The Euroleague’s 50 best players: 40-31

36. Edy Tavares, C, Real Madrid

Nationality/College: Cape Verde

2017-18 stats: 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.9 blocks per game (Real Madrid)

Career synopsis: Tavares was selected with the 43rd pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, whoo then stashed him for one year with Gran Canaria in Spain, where he excelled. He then spent three years floating in the G-League, with two particularly impactful years with the Austin Spurs and Raptors 905. He did some short spurts in the NBA with the Hawks and Cavaliers, where he most notably posted a six-block performance in the last game of the 2016-2017 season. After the Cavs cut him in 2017 though, he signed with Real Madrid as an insurance policy when Madrid suffered several big man injuries, and got a Euroleague title out of it.

Representative Highlight Play:

What’s his skill set?: It sounds too simple to say, “Being 7-foot-3,” but that’s basically the game here. Tavares is a rim protector, rebounder, and lob finisher, and he does all three very well thanks to his reach and height.

What makes him special?: Tavares was too slow for the NBA game, but he’s right at home in the ACB, where he has consistently provided a scary threat against the league’s smaller centers and slower pace of play. Tavares basically learned Real Madrid’s notoriously complex defense on the fly, and helped keep the team afloat in January, when they were basically playing two functional big men due to injury and relying on Tavares and Felipe Reyes to be the team’s defense. He’ll get a small role reduction this year with the return of Gustavo Ayon and Ognjen Kuzmic back to health, but it’ll still be amazing to watch backups try to contend with Tavares standing at the rim waiting to pounce on Real’s bench units.