Tristan da Silva Excited for 'Rare' Opportunity With Magic

With the Orlando Magic being one of the NBA's youngest teams and coming off a playoff appearance, No. 18 overall draft pick Tristan da Silva understands the situation he's joining.

Colorado Buffaloes forward Tristan da Silva (23) celebrates in the second half against the Washington State Cougars at T-Mobile Arena. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ORLANDO — Few teams have accomplished what the Orlando Magic did last season while being the fifth-youngest team in the NBA.

Orlando won 47 games and was one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals. On Wednesday, the Magic added one more young piece through the draft to help them take the next step when they took Tristan da Silva with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Given the Magic's success, da Silva noted how different this opportunity is given the team's youth and playoff run last season.

"It's very rare to go into a situation with a lot of young talent that's already done so much," da Silva said at his introductory press conference on Friday at the AdventHealth Training Center in Orlando. "It's really special to join that group. I feel good going into a situation where I know there's a lot of players that are in a similar mind space as me and the same chapter in their career, even though they might have already played for three years. I'm really excited to just join that team and complement them."

Da Silva landing with the Magic wasn't something they fully expected would happen. Jeff Weltman, the Magic's President of Basketball Operations, said part of what led to the opportunity for Orlando to land the 6-foot-8 forward was how the draft shook out with the first 17 picks.

By the time Orlando was on the clock, Weltman was happy to see da Silva still on the board.

"I think things broke our way," Weltman said. "I think some of the craziness of that particular draft helped us have things break our way. Ultimately, we were thrilled to be able to walk away with Tristan da Silva."

The Brazilian-German forward played for four seasons at Colorado and was a three-year starter. Da Silva averaged 16 points and nearly shot 40 percent on his 3-point attempts and was 38.6 percent from 3 in his collegiate career. He also proved he can show up in the biggest moments, averaging 18 points and making over 50 percent of his 3s across three games in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Weltman spoke highly of da Silva and how he checked many of the boxes they were hoping to check. Among them were shooting and IQ, and the Magic's President of Basketball Ops lauded the 6-foot-8 forward's ability to make quick decisions in the heat of the moment.

"That's something that is increasingly valuable in the NBA as defenses load up," Weltman said. "If you're able to outthink people and react quickly to things that haven't quite formed yet, it puts the team in a good position."

Getting drafted is the realization of a childhood dream for most of the players who make it to the NBA. Da Silva described himself as "living the dream" both for him and his family.

But with that dream comes the reality that he's starting over and will have to prove himself if he's going to sustain the success that got him to this point. That task isn't something da Silva is shying away from, and he's ready to put in the work that helped turn him into a first-round pick.

"Now the real work starts," da Silva said. "I know that this was a big step and I know this seems like a huge accomplishment but there's a lot of work behind it day in and day out and a lot of dedication and a lot of love for the game. That's the thing that's going to carry me even further."

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