The Magic Insider

Tristan da Silva delivers his most complete game yet in Magic win vs Nets

Surya Fernandez|
Nov 14, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) goes to the basket against Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) during the second half at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Nov 14, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) goes to the basket against Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (1) during the second half at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

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Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic (7-6) did what they had to do last night in NBA Cup play, dispatching the lowly Brooklyn Nets (now a ghastly 1-11) at home with star Paolo Banchero sitting out due to injury.

Starting in his place was Tristan da Silva, who not-so-quietly delivered perhaps his most tantalizing, complete two-way performance yet in the NBA. The 2024 first-rounder is now carving out a real role in Year 2 and it very well could be the kind of game that may force coach Jamahl Mosley's hand for a larger role in the rotation moving forward.

Bad teams have bad defense, sure, but da Silva wasn't just solid against the Nets with 22 points, nine rebounds, and a team-best +15 in 32 minutes of play; he showed positive signs that there could be a ceiling of a legitimate prototypical modern NBA forward.

Even in what could have been a trap game, da Silva played solidly in every quarter and didn't just disappear after a hot start. It wasn't just passing the eye test, the advanced stats simply pop: .739 TS%, .750 eFG%, 119 ORtg, 103 DRtg, and 6.6 BPM.

First and foremost, that .739 true shooting percentage is way higher than the NBA average TS% of about .570. This was an exceptionally efficient scoring game, portraying a complete offensive performance. He not only hit open shots, but he also knocked down high-value shots all night long, avoiding any bad looks. For a young player, it's a promising sign of a player who is understanding shot selection at both an advanced level and at an accelerating rate.

The rest of the numbers practically speak for themselves. His .750 effective FG% and 119 offensive rating shows he produced at a nearly elite level, all the while managing not to stall the offense with his cerebral cutting and relocating across space without taking the ball out of the hands of Desmond Bane or Franz Wagner.

"That's part of the game that I'm working, that I'm trying to expand. I've shown a lot of my catch and shoot capabilities, but I feel like off the dribble is something that is going to help this team even more. Being able to create for myself and others. I am going to keep working on that. I feel like that's going to be something that's going to develop over the next couple of months and years."
Tristan da Silva

Encouragingly, his 103 defensive rating on the other end demonstrated veteran-level discipline with good positioning, timely rotations, and contesting shots without fouling or getting lost in switches.

Putting it all together, with a 6+ box plus-minus metric, it indicates a clear positive impact on both ends where da Silva isn't forcing the issue and can capably fill gaps for a team that, quite simply, needs to string together more games like this.

If this is a preview of what's to come for da Silva, the future looks bright indeed.

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Surya Fernandez
SURYA FERNANDEZ

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