The Orlando Magic drafted Tristan da Silva to throw him into the deep end.
As a 23-year-old rookie and a four-year player at Colorado, he was meant to have the experience and confidence to step right into the NBA. He would know exactly how to play his role and support the Magic in their Playoff hopes.
Tristan da Silva indeed got thrown into the deep end very quickly when Paolo Banchero went down with his oblique injury. The rookie was suddenly a vital player, filling in the starter's minutes as the Magic tried to keep the ship steady.
Da Silva had some really strong moments in his rookie year. His first real playing time saw him score 17 points in the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He started the next 13 games, averaging 7.3 points per game. He had his big moment when he hit the game-clinching three in the Dec. 23 win over the Boston Celtics.
There were some strong highs for the quiet rookie. But there was also a lot of lows.
Da Silva ended the season out of the rotation. He was not a factor in the Playoffs. Maybe that should be expected for a rookie taken outside of the Lottery, but it still says a lot.
With so much seemingly in flux for the Magic and their roster -- including the need to make trades -- trying to assess da Silva's place with the team is difficult.
It may not be front of mind ahead of this offseason, but it is still a critical question: Where does da Silva fit in?
With the Magic approaching the apron, the players on their rookie contracts -- right now, Paolo Banchero (for one more year), Anthony Black, Jett Howard and Tristan da Silva -- will become far more valuable. Players on cost-controlled rookie-scale deals will be like found money, freeing the Magic to shed higher salaries and gain more flexibility elsewhere.
Orlando will have to be more efficient and successful with its drafting -- beginning with whatever the team does with its two first round picks in this year's draft.
That leads back to da Silva. Does he have a place with this team?
An up-and-down rookie year
There were a lot of things that Tristan da Silva did exceptionally well throughout his rookie season. But it was mostly an uneven rookie year for him.
Da Silva averaged 7.2 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. He shot 41.2 percent from the floor and 33.5 percent from three.
In 38 starts, da Silva averaged 9.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, shooting 40.2 percent from the floor and 31.0 percent from three.
"A lot of unexpected turns," da Silva said during exit interviews. "You never know what can happen. It happened right off the jump with two injuries. All of a sudden, I was playing a lot. A lot of ups in that, downs in that as well. My role changed over the year. I felt like how I played changed over the year. My relationships changed over the year with coaches and teammates getting more comfortable with everybody around me."
Da Silva for whatever he was or was not contributing statistically was vital to provide stability during those early days in the season. He spaced the floor and gave other room to step up. The Magic do not keep chugging along without da Silva's efforts.
Tristan Da Silva will be able to start, playing the same position as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. But within those stats is the sign of what da Silva can bring to the team. He can be a floor spacer, solid defender and cutter (1.24 points per possession off cuts according to tracking data from NBA.com).
He struggled to gain a consistent foothold in the rotation after the team got healthier.
During the Magic's 18-game sprint to close the season, da Silva played only eight games (still starting three) and averaged 15.4 minutes per game. He scored 4.8 points per game and shot 10 for 32 from three.
In the Playoffs, da Silva appeared in only two games, playing fewer than five minutes total. Da Silva was left completely out of the rotation when things mattered. And that says a lot.
Where does da Silva fit in?
That inevitably leads to the next question: After a rookie year that had some impressive moments but ultimately did not net him a rotation spot, where does Tristan da Silva fit in with this puzzle for the Orlando Magic?
Everyone senses the Magic are about to make a lot of moves and the earth is about to shift beneath them. It feels like everyone who is not Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner or Jalen Suggs are on the trading block potentially to add the kind of offense the team needs.
Do the Magic see a place for him in the rotation though? Would he be a viable replacement if the team moves Jonathan Isaac in a trade? Would he be someone the Magic use as a Gary Harris replacement if they trade him or decline his option?
"It was tough for sure," da Silva said during exit interviews. "I feel like I've always had a good supporting system around me and people who are really close to me. That tight circle I am with. That helped me a lot, especially the times I was struggling with it. It was always about the work you put into it, the process that you commit to. I tried to commit to that as much as I could. That definitely helped me take my mind off of things and just focus on getting better every single day."
Giving up on young players is usually a bad idea without good reason.
Da Silva will surely get better heading into his second season. But he also did not entrench himself into the rotation. It never felt like the Magic were missing anything by not playing him, as reliable and steady as he was as a spot starter or spot rotation player.
Da Silva had impressive moments throughout the season. He did enough to get a single All-Rookie second team vote. He was an injury replacement invite to the Rising Stars Game at All-Star Weekend.
He got thrown a lot this season and handled things well in the end. Everyone understands this is a big offseason for him.
"I thought Tristan did a great job being able to step in to whatever he was tasked to do," coach Jamahl Mosley said during exit interviews. "Early on with Franz being down, he comes in and steps into being in the starting lineup. I think he did a very good job accepting whatever role he was given.
"He has been a pro for a long time. Doing four years of school and knowing what it takes to be a rookie and understand what is being asked of you. He was willing to do that. It's going to be big time for him this summer, I do believe."
But nothing is guaranteed.
A lot changes in the NBA quickly. And da Silva has not cemented a spot in the rotation or a clear path forward. That may make him trade fodder if the Magic need him too.
His place is as much in the air as anything else for this team entering a critical offseason.
The reality is the Magic are past the point of waiting on development projects. They are clearly focused on winning in the short term now.
After an uneven rookie year, it is important to ask whether da Silva fits in with this new team.