Tristan da Silva was drafted to play quickly after playing four years at Colorado, but he was not expected to play this quickly or play meaningful basketball this quickly.
The injury to Paolo Banchero and then Franz Wagner threw the rookie into the fire almost immediately. His even, veteran-like demeanor and confidence in what he could do allowed him to be successful.
His breakthrough came in late December when he hit a critical three to upset the Boston Celtics in a late December game. A few weeks later, da Silva had his best game of the season with 25 points and 5-for-7 shooting from three in a win over the Toronto Raptors.
The Magic seemed to have found a do-everything, fill-in forward who could help them in critical times. Da Silva, in fact, had helped them at a critical time.
As the Magic got healthier and the season waned, da Silva became less important. He ended up playing only five total minutes and two games in the Playoffs. Da Silva seemed to be on the backburner.
That is not the case anymore. Not with the Magic eyeing contention.
Orlando addressed its shooting needs with Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones. But to truly become contenders, the Magic need someone like da Silva to take a big step. He could be the kind of role player who elevates the team to that next level.
"They need someone else to pop," Andrew Schlecht said on a recent episode of The Athletic NBA Daily. "They need someone like Tristan da Silva to take on minutes and shoot it really well. You can't get by with just one really good shooter. You need somebody else. They need a little bit more than Desmond Bane's shooting to make it work."
The Magic still expect big things in da Silva's second year. It is hard to say that a season for a second-year player is a make-or-break season. But the Magic will need da Silva to take a step up this season to complete their lineup.
As part of their bench full of young players trying to establish themselves, da Silva is the most unproven and the one the team may need to hit in his role the most.
If the Magic are going to contend and step into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference, they will need a big season from da Silva.
Da Silva's rookie year ride
The Orlando Magic selected Tristan da Silva with the 18th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. That is not a place where anyone expects to grab a rotation-level player. But being a four-year player at Colorado, da Silva was expected to have a skill set that would slot into the lineup quickly.
He was viewed in his draft class as someone who would understand and play a role and be comfortable helping his team. The way he played at Colorado seemed to suggest he could fit right in.
With Paolo Banchero suffering an injury early in the season, Tristan da Silva was thrown immediately into the fire. And he largely succeeded.
Between Paolo Banchero's injury and Franz Wagner's injury, Tristan da Silva averaged 7.5 points per game and shot 33.8 percent from three. Between Wagner's injury and Banchero's return, da Silva averaged 11.4 points per game but shot 29.9 percent from three.
That is how da Silva's rookie season ultimately went. He had some bright moments and strong individual games, but his overall picture was not particularly strong.
He ended at 7.2 points per game and 33.5 percent shooting from three. He fell out of the rotation and was a non-factor in the Playoffs.
Da Silva has an opportunity next year
The Orlando Magic have changed the game and raised the stakes this offseason. They pushed some chips into the table to acquire Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones. They are hoping they will be healthy with a bounce-back season from Jonathan Isaac off the bench and a full season with Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Typically, a team hungry for contention would be pushing younger players to the side. Instead, the Magic have become so top-heavy with salary that contributions from third-year guard Anthony Black and second-year forward Tristan da Silva will almost become required.
Looking at the Magic's depth chart would slot da Silva as the team's backup small forward, joining the forward rotation with Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane and another young forward in Jett Howard. Da Silva seems like he would be a shoo-in for minutes if the Magic maintain a 10-man rotation.
That is why all eyes are on da Silva to take a step up this season. It looks as though da Silva will be a key focus for the team.
Orlando got its first look at da Silva in Summer League. They made it clear their goal for him was to be aggressive and look like the second-year player and veteran that he is.
He largely did that, averaging 18.5 points per game and shooting 14 for 28 (50.0 percent) from the floor and 5 for 13 from three in his two games in Las Vegas. Even seeing him turn the ball over nine times was a sign he was trying to be more assertive and more comfortable on the ball.
That is not what the Magic will necessarily ask him to do.
Neither will Germany as da Silva tries to make his national team's Eurobasket roster. If he has indeed taken a step up, that will be present in this critical international tournament, where he will be asked to spread the floor and defend. The exact role the Magic need from him.
Da Silva will almost certainly play a critical role for the Magic. Orlando is betting on him taking a big step forward this year.
And if da Silva can take that step up, the Magic can take a big step toward contention.