Rivaldo Soares

BORN: 1999

LAST TEAM: Oklahoma Sooners (NCAA)

HEIGHT: 198 cm

WEIGHT: 97 kg

PRO

• Defensive skill
• Rebounding
• Athleticism/physicality

WEAKNESSES

• Consistency in performance (offensive)
• Improvable shooting volume from 3pt
• Lacks in some game reads.

VIDEO

EUROBASKET.COM

REALGM.COM

INTRODUCTION: Rivaldo Soares is a modern and versatile wing with Cape Verdean descent, capable of covering multiple roles both offensively and defensively. In his first two years of college, he played in the NJCAA (at South Plains College) and, as a sophomore, he was named an NJCAA first-team all-American and the player of the year in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC). He then transferred to Oregon for the following two seasons, proving to be one of the team’s main players. In his last season, he remained at Oklahoma.

As mentioned, Soares is a versatile player, with defensive versatility being his strong suit. He is an athletic player, extremely difficult to beat in 1v1 situations, with long arms that allow him to obscure passing lanes. He may not be a great stealer (only 0.5 steals), but he is a solid defender. His rebounding contribution is also significant (4.9 rebounds on average, 3.8 of which are defensive).

Offensively, he is an average player (averaging 9.4 points); his goal should be to become a true 3&D player, his three-point shooting percentage is 39.2% (but taking only 2.6 attempts per game out of 5.4 field goal attempts). He is always a threat on the offensive boards, contesting every rebound. However, attempting 5.4 shots in 24 minutes doesn’t make him a great scorer.

His game reads (outside of set plays) could be improved. Soares is a player with clear strengths and some expected areas for improvement throughout his professional career.