Tristan Da Silva‘s rookie season may not be in the minds of casual NBA fans. Da Silva quietly had a great summer league and showed fans that he’s looking to contribute immediately. This seems to be the reason the Magic selected him as well, with him being an older prospect.
Let’s take a look at Da Silva’s rookie preview for the upcoming season.
NBA Rookie Preview: Tristan Da Silva
Prospect Profile
Da Silva was an unranked prospect in the class of 2021 and signed with the Colorado Buffaloes. He played all four years in Colorado and steadily improved. Da Silva’s season average in points, rebounds, free throw percentage, and three-point percentage increased every single year he played. That’s an impressive development track for anyone, and it culminated in him being selected as the 18th overall pick.
Da Silva is a combo forward who plays the game the right way and does multiple things well. At 6-foot-8, he shot 39.5 percent from the perimeter and is a solid team defender. It was no secret the Magic would value shooting in this draft, and Da Silva can do just that. Scouts’ main concern with Da Silva would be his athletic limitations, specifically defensively. However, Da Silva was often praised for his high-IQ play on that end and his positive statistical effect on the Buffaloes defensively. He might be a tweener with no true position, but he’s proved he can affect the game in a variety of ways. His versatility, team defense, and shooting fit perfectly with a plus-sized Magic roster.
Team Fit
Tristan Da Silva was at the top of our list of the most underrated performers in the NBA summer league. It hopefully helped earn him quality minutes in a support role with a quickly ascending Magic squad. Da Silva’s rookie preview overall centers around being a well-rounded role player. From what he’s shown throughout college and summer league, combined with the Magic roster on paper, this seems like a reasonable goal.
First, the Magic have two star forwards: Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Both players can play multiple positions, and the same goes for reserve players Jonathan Isaac and Moritz Wagner. Isaac is more relocated to playing both forward spots, whereas Wagner stays mostly at the power forward or center positions. Lastly, Wendell Carter Jr projects to be the starting center for the Magic but can play power forward in a pinch.
So, as should be clear to see by now, the Magic are loaded with versatility. While this means Da Silva has plenty of competition for minutes, it also means there’s more opportunity at different positions and within multiple lineups. This suits Da Silva well, as his game is based on being well-rounded and versatile on both ends of the floor.
Predictions
Da Silva’s rookie preview will be heavily reliant on just how much of the rotation he actually breaks into. Last year, the Magic selected two lottery picks and decided not to utilize them all that much. Anthony Black only played significant minutes early on due to injuries, and Jett Howard was mostly relegated to the G-league. Da Silva’s situation isn’t exactly the same, of course. He’s an older prospect who was drafted based on team fit and the idea that he could contribute sooner rather than later.
I think Da Silva’s versatility and consistency will earn him minutes throughout the year. Similar to Dalton Knecht’s rookie preview with the Lakers. However, these minutes will still see him in a support role. He may not have the opportunity to put up gaudy numbers, but Da Silva does impact the stat sheet in more ways than Knecht. I think both All-Rookie teams could be on the table, depending on how well this rookie class does overall.
