Tristan da Silva Fits Seamlessly For Magic in Summer League Debut

Tristan da Silva did a little bit of everything for the Orlando Magic in the opening game of the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas.

Colorado Buffaloes forward Tristan da Silva (23) reacts after scoring during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament game against the Marquette Golden Eagles. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA

ORLANDO — Tristan da Silva's experience and versatility made him one of the safer players entering the 2024 NBA Draft regardless of the team that drafted him.

In the opening game of the 2K25 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, da Silva's ability to do everything and fit in well was on full display for the Orlando Magic in their one-sided 106-79 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Pavilion on Friday. The 6-foot-8 Brazilian-German forward finished his summer league debut with 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and one steal.

"It was a good start," da Silva said of his performance. "There's always room for improvement. I felt like it was a good starting point, especially defensively I felt like I've done a couple of really good things and then offensively, just keeping the flow going [and] getting some easy looks."

Along with his versatility being at the forefront, da Silva's ability to play without the ball and be at the right place at the right time stood out. On his first basket of the game, he went from passing the ball to Anthony Black to finding space at the top of the key and draining a wide-open 3-pointer.

TDS,, the man that you are pic.twitter.com/IN91Hh5bG8

— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) July 12, 2024

da Silva, 23, shot 3 of 5 from beyond the arc against Cleveland.

"He fits into what we do," Black said of da Silva. "He fits into our values as a team and he gets after it out there. This is my first time playing with him, obviously, and [I'm] just really impressed by the way he does all the little things and knocks down shots. He was huge for us."

Magic summer league coach Lionel Chalmers also lauded da Silva's versatility and his impact on the team.

"You can put him in any situation," Chalmers said. "He can switch, he can understand his slip and roll, he can shoot the 3. He's just so versatile that you can put him in any situation and he'll be successful."

On a team with multiple ball-handlers like Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Black, da Silva will have to thrive without the ball in his hands and knock down shots if he's going to see playing time in his rookie season. Friday was a small sample size, but the things that made da Silva a coveted pick carried into his summer league debut, and building on that can pave the way for him to be an important player for Orlando in his rookie season.

The Magic will look to continue their hot start on Sunday when they face the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Pavilion.

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