Photo by MattAzevedo.com
Raptors 905 center Edy Tavares has been named to the Eastern Conference D-League All-Star Team, the league announced Monday.
Tavares will head to New Orleans with his own coaching staff, who get the honor of coaching the East side thanks to owning the best record in the conference ahead of the break. That should mean a lot of post-ups for Tavares, who head coach Jerry Stackhouse has fed regularly during the first half of the season. Tavares is averaging 10.1 points on 60.6-percent shooting to go along with 7.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks,a nd the 905 outscore opponents by 18.4 points per-100 possessions with him on the floor.
Given his immense size, soft touch around the rim, and smart use of his length when not asked to travel laterally on defense, Tavares is likely an intriguing name to NBA scouts. His name came up pretty frequently in talking with league personnel at the D-League Showcase, and while it’s not clear if his defense will translate against fast, smart, modern NBA offenses, he’s definitely done his best to make a case for another NBA opportunity.
Conspicuous by his absence on the All-Star roster is Axel Toupane, who has been Raptors 905’s best player and who remains their best NBA prospect. The 2015-16 Denver Nuggets call-up is averaging 16.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals while guarding three, or even four positions and working as the team’s late-clock creator. The on-off impact has been somewhat less pronounced because Toupane leads second units
It’s possible Toupane could be in line to replace Yogi Ferrel on the roster, now that he’s on a multi-year NBA deal.
In other 905 All-Star content, it seems likely that Brady Heslip will get a chance to participate in the 3-Point Contest, and John Jordan will likely defend his Slam Dunk title.
