The scouting report on Orlando Magic draft pick Tristan da Silva was: He is going to be in the right spot at the right time.
His stats or his physical stature may not be overly impressive. But everyone who watched him knew he was the glue holding a talented Colorado team together. Wherever the Buffaloes needed him and whatever they needed from him, da Silva seemed capable and able to provide that lift.
That kind of a player seems too good to be true. Everyone saw him as a perfect fit as an oversized playmaker and decisionmaker for this Orlando Magic team.
It feels like an easy descriptor for a senior without any standout or elite-looking skill. It is the kind of thing you use to justify a 23-year-old because they should play quickly.
However, being in the right spot and knowing where to go is a skill. It is not something to look past. And it is not a lazy descriptor. It is something you know when you see because someone like da Silva keeps showing up with the ball in his hands at critical points.
It literally just finds him.
Nothing exemplified this more than one of the most critical possessions of the game. With the Magic racing into the lead after trailing by 15 points in the third quarter, they were trying to put the game away. Jarrett Culver had his man in the corner and faced up trying to set up for a three.
He took the pull up jumper and missed. The lane was wide open and it was no surprise who was there to collect the offensive rebound.
Da Silva put the game to bed with his putback layup with 40 seconds left, giving the Magic a then-seven-point lead in a 91-86 victory to move to 2-0 in the Summer League.
This was the perfect exemplification of da Silva being in the right place at the right time. That is how he moves to where the ball is going to be and into the pocket to be available as a shooter and scorer. And in a critical moment, da Silva showed up in the right spot to ensure the team won.
What da Silva has promised at every turn is that he will be available to do whatever his team needs of him. That defined his case to be picked into the NBA. And thtat was what was on display Sunday night.
"I'm just a player. I'm just trying to play the right way," da Silva said after Sunday's win. "I'm not really out here or personal accolades. If I can impact the whole game just by playing defense, communicating on the floor and making the right reads. I'm cool with that. If it's scoring the basket, I'm cool with that too."
Of course, thinking about just this as a sign of who da Silva is would be selling him short. Over and over again, da Silva kept making plays and kept finding his shots. He kept making plays and kept producing for this team.
It is hard not to be impressed considering how little the Magic are running plays for him. The ball just kept finding da Silva and he kept converting on his way to 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting with three 3-pointers made. He added four rebounds.
As you comb through a lot of his highlights you will see a lot of plays where other set him up. Da Silva's success often comes from the team's success.
That does not mean da Silva is not capable of creating on his own. He had a nice turnaround jumper in the game's opening quarter. In a critical possession in the fourth quarter, da Silva was able to draw contact and finish through for a layup to extend the Magic's lead.
Da Silva has plenty of game on his own. And he relishes the challenge—even taking Jordan Hawkins defensively after Hawkins made a few threes.
"There's a lot of guys who have four years of experience and a lot of reps, but Tristan is a little different," Magic Summer League coach Lionel Chalmers said after Sunday's win. "He is very cerebral. He understands the game. He's very poised and patient and he knows how to play. he can read the moments. He understands the situation and what's happening. He's leading on the bench as well. I think he's a guy who has very many talents when it comes to basketball."
But through two Summer League games—he had 13 points and made three 3-pointers in Friday's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers—it is clear da Silva has a knack for being available and ready wherever his teammates need him.
That has stood out as the most translatable skill he has. Da Silva repositions and moves himself into open pockets, making himself available for passes. That he is getting a lot of those passes and converting is a sign of how connected the team has been and how da Silva makes everything easier for his teammates.
Da Silva looks ready to contribute at the NBA level
Much has been made that he is a senior and 23 years old, older than many of the Magic's own veterans. But that does have something to do with his success. He has seen more situations than others and is comfortable adjusting to a new league.
That is what the Magic hope for when he joins the main roster. Everything has to have an eye on how things translate to October. Da Silva looks like someone who will translate because he fits in. A sense of where to be on the floor as others attack is absolutely something that will translate.
It is hard not to be impressed.
"I feel like at my age—it makes me sound like an old head—I have a couple more years under my belt than the typical rookie," da Silva said after Sunday's game. "The game is a little bit slower for me than other people coming in fresh out of college. I'm trying to take advantage of that, play the right way and don't get sped up."
Da Silva still has plenty of room to grow though. And doing what he has done in two Summer League games still has to translate to the regular season in October.
But clearly, da Silva has the right approach. He has the right ideas and the understanding of how to help his team win—whether he is able to get the shot or not. There will be playmaking elements he may have to add and he will have to be active on the glass too.
Da Silva though has made his early career on making all those little plays. That is what he made his name in college on.
In two Summer League games, Magic fans are seeing what they mean by that. Da Silva makes winning plays and fits in wherever the team needs him. That is as advertised from the Draft. Da Silva is delivering.