Walter Tavares has climbed to the top of Spain’s all-time shot-blocking list. Two first-half blocks against San Pablo Burgos on Sunday took the Real Madrid centre to 739 career Liga Endesa blocks, moving him past Fran Vázquez’s mark of 738. It is another extraordinary number for a player who has spent much of his career making the paint a deeply unpleasant place to visit. BasketNews reported the milestone during the Burgos game.
The chase has been building for a while. Spain’s ACB documented Tavares reaching 723 blocks in March, after he became only the second Madrid player to record 600 league blocks for the club. His total also includes blocks from his earlier spell with Gran Canaria. Vázquez’s 738 had survived as the league’s career benchmark; Tavares has now edged past it, rather than merely joining him at the summit.
The timing is striking because Madrid’s big man has been collecting records on two different fronts. On 27 October, he pulled down four offensive rebounds against Baskonia to reach 825 in the EuroLeague, overtaking Kyle Hines as that competition’s all-time offensive rebounding leader. Real Madrid confirmed that achievement. Those are separate competitions and separate record books, but the common thread is obvious: Tavares changes possessions at both ends.
For EuroLeague fantasy managers, his current production deserves as much attention as the historical totals. BasketNews lists him at 10 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per EuroLeague game, shooting 79.6 per cent from the field, with Madrid sitting 6–3. The blocks are useful; the combination of rebounding, efficient finishing and a central defensive role is the more complete attraction.
There is one workload wrinkle. His minutes in Spain’s domestic league have been lighter than in previous seasons, according to the same report. That does not automatically describe his EuroLeague rotation, where opponents, matchups and Madrid’s selection decisions can be different. His European minutes and all-round involvement will determine whether that production holds up, regardless of how many records he owns.
Madrid’s next EuroLeague test comes at home against Panathinaikos on Wednesday 4 November, a fixture listed on the club’s official basketball schedule. Tavares arrives with two historic milestones in the space of a week. Panathinaikos will be rather more concerned with keeping him away from the rim than admiring the numbers.
Comments