Milwaukee Bucks: Options at No. 31

Walter Tavares of Cape Verde has been playing basketball for just five years, but is already a top prospect. (Photo ACB.com)

Walter Tavares, C, Cape Verde

Tavares, a 7-foot-3, 265-pound center from Cape Verde—an island nation off the west coast of Africa—is 22 years old and has spent the last five seasons playing for CB Gran Canaria of the Spanish Liga ACB.

Tavares averaged six points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 21.2 minutes per game last season, shooting .593/.000/.722.

Tavares was discovered in Cape Verde in 2009 by a German tourist and Gran Canaria signed him and began to teach him the game—he hadn’t touched a basketball prior to five years ago.

He had his coming-out party, so to speak, against star-studded Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey in February, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a loss.

Defensively, he has good instincts as a rebounder and shot-blocker despite his lack of experience. But offensively, he’s not much of a scorer and doesn’t have a post game to speak of at all.

He only took six jump shots all season and more than 77 percent of his points came off cuts, pick and roll sets or offensive rebounds.

Tavares is mobile, but not explosive—he struggles to get off the floor—and will need to improve his lower body strength, as he gets backed down rather easily and is also very foul prone, committing 5.4 fouls per 40 minutes.

Complicating things is the three-year extension Tavares signed with Gran Canaria last week, meaning any team looking to get him out of his deal with the Canary Islands-based club will likely have to pay a substantial buyout.

Projected to come off the board: No. 31-41.