Adjusting to NBA life, Tristan da Silva helps Magic dance in March
A year ago this week, Tristan da Silva was a senior at Colorado helping lead the No. 10-seeded Buffs to the NCAA tournament.
The group advanced out of the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, when he recorded just the 10th 20-point effort in Colorado NCAA tourney and later upset the No. 7-seeded Florida Gators in the Round of 64.
Fast-forward to this past weekend and da Silva found himself back in Ohio helping the Magic end Cleveland‘s franchise-record 16-game winning streak at Rocket Arena.
Although da Silva is familiar with playing important basketball in March, the rookie is still adjusting to the amount of games at the NBA level and how little time there is between contests.
Wednesday’s game at home against the Rockets was Orlando‘s 70th of the regular season, and the Magic will hit the road again Friday to face the Wizards.
In comparison, Colorado played just 37 games during da Silva’s senior year even with the Buffaloes’ time in the Big Dance.
“It’s definitely different,” da Silva said in the locker room before Orlando faced the Cavaliers. “It’s just the frequency of the games; not necessarily how long the regular season goes. Because it’s only a difference of a month really. But [we] really play every other day, so I feel like that’s a big thing.”
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley believes da Silva has handled added workload as best as he can.
The rookie was thrown into the fire after just the fifth game of the season when he filled in for Paolo Banchero, who missed two-plus months because of a torn right oblique, and da Silva continued to help Orlando when Franz Wagner suffered the same injury.
The No. 18 pick has remained in the Magic rotation ever since while becoming an important bench piece and still serving as a spot starter for Mosley, a fellow Colorado alum.
“He’s still continuing to take that all in,” the Magic coach said of da Silva. “It’s a lot for a young rookie in this situation, but he’s taken it all in stride, and he continues to learn as the games go on … Just understanding the speed, the intensity, the physicality of the game, but also understanding the game plan within that game.
“It’s going to benefit him so much in the long run because he is a tireless worker, a focused young man,” Mosley added.
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Entering Wednesday’s game against the Rockets, da Silva averaged 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists during 22.8 minutes in 65 games, 36 of which he’s started.
A Rising Star at All-Star Weekend in February, da Silva ranked tied-for-16th in scoring, 14th in rebounding, tied-for-13th in assists and 10th in minutes played among all rookies.
“People told me this before the season started, but it’s a lot of ups and downs and you’ve kind of got to stay the course,” he said. “I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job trying to do that with everything that was thrown my way. That’s what I’m going to continue doing.”
He’s also going to continue to follow what his former college teammates are doing in March, including those who transferred from Colorado.
That includes Nique Clifford, a 2024-25 All-Mountain West Team selection who is leading Colorado State into the NCAA tourney this week.
Clifford and the 12th-seeded Rams are hoping to upset 5th-seeded Memphis on Friday.
“They just won the Mountain West, so they keep dancing,” da Silva said.
The rookie is hoping the Magic can keep dancing beyond March and April, too.
No. 8 Orlando (32-37) entered Wednesday’s slate 1 game back of No. 7 Atlanta (33-36) and 2.5 games in front of No. 9 Chicago (29-39) and No. 10 Miami (29-39), the latter of whom has dropped eight straight.
Seeds 7-10 in each conference compete in the Play-In for the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds in the playoffs.
“It’s definitely very important for us to take care of business down the stretch,” da Silva said. “That’s what’s going to define the postseason for us. We’ve got to play every single game like it’s already the playoffs.”
At some point, da Silva will reflect on his rookie year in the NBA and think fondly of the memories he’s created along the way.
For now, he’s focused on the task at hand — helping the Magic reach the postseason, similar to how he helped the Buffs punch their ticket to the tournament last year.
“He’s just continuing to grow within these small strides, and that’s what it is [in] a lot of these games,” Mosley said. “He’s a professional, and all of those things will suit him well as we move forward.”
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
Magic at Wizards
When: 7, Friday, Capital One Arena
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida
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