Tristan da Silva Continues to Flourish with Larger Role for Magic

Orlando was able to come back from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit against the Brooklyn Nets in large part due to the outstanding play of da Silva.

Dec 29, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) defends Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) during the second half at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Orlando Magic have been plagued with the inury bug this season and saw their point guard Jalen Suggs leave Sunday's game against the Brooklyn Nets in the second quarter due to a wrist sprain. The team struggled to generate offense for the first three quarters of the game until a 34-point fourth quarter that saw them overcome a 17-point deficit with seven minutes remaining.

Magic rookie Tristan da Silva has been a bright spot for the team and is playing well recently, but his performance against the Nets was by far his most impressive game of the season. He made plays when it counted, scoring 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. He came up clutch for the banged-up Magic and made timely buckets in the final minutes of regulation with the game on the line. The Magic rookie has proven to be a shrewd decision-maker and was even trusted as the primary ball handler toward the end of the game.

The 6-foot-8 forward has shown tremendous versatility on both sides of the ball that he was known for coming out of Colorado. With a larger role due to injuries, da Silva has flashed the ability to be more than just a 3-and-d wing at the NBA level. His on-ball skills are impressive for a player of his size and his basketball IQ is prevalent in each game he plays. He has gotten more comfortable in the pick-and-roll and was able to generate seven assists Sunday with greater playmaking responsibilities. Da Silva has an amazing feel for the game, which is hard to teach, and this will allow him to continue to develop quickly with more experience.

The 23-year-old is an older rookie by NBA standards, but he has used his age to his advantage with maturity exceeding that of an average rookie. This is very noticeable on the defensive end where he is as solid as they come. Though he's not making flashy plays or putting up big numbers defensively, da Silva uses his length to be solid and contest shots with verticality. On the last play of the game, he was switched onto Brooklyn's go-to guy, Cam Thomas, and forced a miss with his verticality as the buzzer sounded.

He was able to bounce back in a big way after a rough game against the Knicks that saw him go scoreless in 28 minutes. He has now scored over 15 points in five of his last seven games and scored his career-high against Brooklyn on Sunday. The rookie has continued to look like one of the more polished rookies coming out of his draft class with more room for growth as a playmaker than originally expected.

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