ORLANDO — Time will tell how good Tristan da Silva will be for the Orlando Magic, but the No. 18 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft already is impressing his coach with his basketball IQ.
Magic assistant and summer league coach Lionel Chalmers emphasized how well the 6-foot-8 forward has acclimated to what the team has been doing.
“He knows how to play the game,” Chalmers said. “He’s very smart, he knows timing, he knows spacing and he’s willing to play with other guys, which is very important. He’s even communicating a lot, which is great for a young guy.”
Da Silva, 23, enters the NBA after playing four seasons — three as a starter — at the University of Colorado. He was an all-conference selection twice and thrived in the 2024 NCAA tournament, averaging 18 points and making better than 55 percent of his 3-pointers.
While the experience certainly helps, Chalmers believes it’s more than basketball acumen. “I think a lot of it is him as a person and the character that he is,” Chalmers said.
da Silva’s first action as a professional basketball player begins at 4 p.m. ET Friday in the NBA 2K25 Summer League. “We got a good group of guys that all know how to play and I’m trying to fit into that,” da Silva said. “Buy into this culture of the Orlando Magic and just play my solid basketball.”