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

Reason #1: His experience 

Most rookies come to the NBA as developmental projects and with little experience. Tristan da Silva is not that. He played four full seasons in college and is older than several more veteran Magic players. 

This is not to say that da Silva is not a developmental project. Every NBA player needs time to grow and experiment with their game at the next level. Da Silva is no exception, but his long college career gives him certain advantages.

For one, he already knows better what kind of player he is right now and can be in the future. He knows what works best for him to succeed and was already a role player in college. Taking on a relatively small role on the Magic should be no shock or big adjustment for him. 

Age and experience usually equal maturity and composure in a basketball player. Those are not qualities you can often find in a rookie, but both are important for a team that wants to win and should allow da Silva to contribute right away. 

While his ceiling may not be as high as that of a younger, less developed player, da Silva can play a role right now. The Magic do not need more young guys who won't be ready to impact winning for a few more years. They need someone who can do that right now, and da Silva checks pretty much all the boxes.