5 Names to know from the Orlando Magic's Summer League team
5 names to know from the Orlando Magic's Summer League team
1. Tristan da Silva
For almost every team, the purpose of Summer League is first and foremost to begin integrating rookies into their system and the way teams coach their players. They want to expose these new players to the way they work and some of the basic plays, sets and defensive principles they run.
Yes, rookies get their feet wet in their first organized games against professional players. But it is really about setting the foundation for training camp for them all.
The Orlando Magic are typically especially integrated. A lot of the team's players will show up to watch the early games in Las Vegas—Jamahl Mosley and Jalen Suggs are already there as part of Team USA's training camp with the Select Team.
Mosley's absence from the Magic's practices may be noticeable just to have the opportunity to work directly with his future head coach. But the Magic have had virtually the same coaching staff for three years. Lionel Chalmers will surely run a very similar boat even if Jamahl Mosley is not as involved.
But Summer League will be Tristan da Silva's introduction to the Magic. The veteran forward at Colorado was a do-everything forward in college, getting better every year in school.
He averaged 16.0 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game in his last year at Colorado. He shot 39.5 percent from three. In many ways, da Silva was the best player for the Buffaloes as they finally made the NCAA Tournament last year.
Even high-level rookies will run into struggles in their first Summer League runs. It will be more important to see da Silva find his comfort in these first games, you can excuse some struggles here and there. There is a long way to go before training camp and a long career ahead for the 23-year-old who everyone believes can fit seamlessly into the league with his experience and high skill set.
With Summer League, it is more about finding out who cannot play. As long as da Silva looks like he can find his groove, he should be fine heading into training camp.
Certainly with some veteran players around him—not just future teammates Anthony Black and Jett Howard, whom Tristan da Silva should help with his basketball IQ, playmaking and passing, but also veterans like Theo Maledon and Jarrett Culver—da Silva should be in a position to show off how he can boost his team and perform when he gets to the main roster.