The Orlando Magic decided to pretty much run it back, re-signing most players from last season. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cory Joseph, and Tristan da Silva were the only new additions to the team.
Da Silva is a rookie, but the expectation is still that he will be in the rotation and have an impact. After all, the Magic drafted him for need and fit rather than future potential. He already showed out in Summer League, but the NBA is a whole other level.
Da Silva will need to make the transition quickly if he wants to help the Magic win in 2024-25. So, let's look at three questions he needs to answer immediately.
3. Is he NBA-ready right away?
Last season, the Magic largely did not deem their first-round picks Anthony Black and Jett Howard NBA-ready. Black only broke into the rotation due to injuries, and Howard spent most of the season with the Magic's G League team. Tristan da Silva is in a very different situation, though.
He is an older rookie—older than Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in fact—and played four full seasons of college basketball. As a result, he has more experience and already knows better what he needs to do consistently for his team to win. He already knows better who he is as a basketball player.
All of this will work to his advantage, but the transition to the NBA is still not always easy to make. Most rookies struggle at first. Da Silva should fill an important role in the Magic's forward rotation right from the start. The Magic need him to be ready as soon as possible. If he is not, it might cause significant problems. So far, everything he has shown has indicated that he will be ready, though.