Edy Tavares will “very likely” return to Spain for another ACB League season, according to a person familiar with situation.
The Hawks’ second-round draft pick (No. 43 overall) will play under season for Gran Canaria to continue his development. The 7-foot-3, 260-pound Tavares averaged 6.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 20.7 minutes last season in Spain.
Tavares played six games with the Hawks’ Las Vegas Summer League entry this month. He averaged 6.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 16.8 minutes.
Tavares, a native of Cape Verde, has only been playing basketball for four years. While in Las Vegas, he said he would understand if the decision was made to spend another season in the ACB League.
“The good thing about going overseas, I will definitely play there,” Tavares told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I will play a lot of minutes and continue to improve my game and get more experience toward the next step of being (in the NBA).”
Hawks assistant Darvin Ham, who works with the team’s big men and coached the summer league team, said Tavares needs to work on using his height as an advantage by keeping the ball high both offensively and defensively. He credited Tavares’ ability to run the floor, his touch around the basket and his free-throw shooting proficiency.
The 2014-15 ACB League regular season begins Oct. 4.
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