Mavs' Luka Doncic Looks Forward to 'Special' Matchup Against Edy Tavares
OKINAWA, Japan — When Luka Doncic and Slovenia faces off against Cape Verde at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, it'll be the first time he's played against former Real Madrid teammate Edy Tavares. It's an opportunity the Dallas Mavericks superstar is looking forward to having.
"Above all, Edy is a wonderful guy," Doncic said. "A really exceptional person. We spent a lot of time together. He has improved a lot as a player. He has become a really great basketball player, I think the one with the biggest impact on the game at the moment out of everyone in the EuroLeague."
Tavares, who remains a member of Real Madrid, played with Doncic during the 2017-18 season ahead of the Slovenian superstar declaring for the NBA Draft. Doncic joked that Tavares has yet to block his shot before, but will have the chance to try when Slovenia faces Cape Verde on Wednesday.
"I haven't played against him yet," Doncic said. "He will be difficult, but I'm looking forward to it. I told him that he's never blocked me before, but maybe now he'll have a chance."
FIBA
The challenge of matching up against Doncic needs no explanation to Tavares. No player has averaged more points per game (35.5) at the World Cup through the first few games than him. He's posed major challenges to guards with his size and has broken down bigs off the bounce all while utilizing his elite scoring and passing skills.
As someone who was often on the receiving end of his former teammate's incredible playmaking skills, the expectation of being required to stay alert to any possibility is atop the list of priorities for Tavares.
"I'm going to try to do my best to be ready, to be aggressive, to be aware for anything he does," Tavares said of matching up against Doncic. "I'm going try to do my best to stop him. It's not going to be easy, but we must be ready for everything because he has so much talent on offense that you don't know where it's going to come from, but we have to stay focused in general."
There will be another opportunity for Doncic and Tavares to face off against each other in a game. The Mavs will play an exhibition match against Real Madrid in Spain on Oct. 10.
