3 Reasons Tristan da Silva deserves to be in the Magic's rotation in 2024-25

Let the rookie play.

2024 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot
2024 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot | Monica Schipper/GettyImages
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Reason #2: His versatility 

The Magic value versatile players, who can contribute on both ends of the floor. Tristan da Silva seems to be just that. 

Standing at 6-foot-8, he has great size at the forward spots and promises to be a good NBA defender. Going from guarding college players to NBA forwards is quite the transition, but the Magic should be able to make it as easy for da Silva as possible. 

Orlando is such a strong defensive team that the rookie likely won't have to guard some of the bigger names right away and get used to the speed and strength of NBA players in his own time. That should allow him to make a positive impact early on and give Jamahl Mosley a chance to experiment with defensive matchups for him. 

Offensively, da Silva has a versatile skill set to offer as well. He can shoot, cut to the basket, and pass. In Summer League, he averaged 3 assists per game and emerged as one of the standout rookies. While he will not have the ball as much in the regular season or play as many minutes, it seems the Magic should be able to trust him to make the right plays when he is on the court. 

Da Silva may not put up huge scoring numbers, but he does a little bit of everything and doesn't mind doing the little things you get little credit for. The Magic have two future stars already and are not expecting da Silva to reach that same level. What they need is someone who can come in, play a role, and contribute a little bit to every aspect of the game. 

Despite being a rookie, da Silva seems perfect for that. 

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