Orlando’s bad luck with injuries puts NBA rookie Tristan da Silva in the spotlight. The parallels to teammate Franz Wagner are striking.
The brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner, the world champions from Germany, shape the Orlando Magic and are pillars of the team. But now that both are out injured, more attention remains on the third German in the NBA franchise team: Tristan da Silva. The Munich native started his rookie year without any great expectations. But he was given playing time right from the start – and now has to bear a lot of responsibility.
Since mid-December, since Franz Wagner was missing with an abdominal muscle injury, da Silva has been one of the few that has been able to regularly play more than 30 minutes per game. With an average of 26 minutes, he is in fifth place in the team’s internal playing time ranking for the entire season. League-wide, he ranks fourth in this rating among rookies, i.e. players in their first year in the NBA.
Tristan da Silva – the “Mini-Franz”
The comparison with Franz Wagner is obvious, and not just because of his age. Both were born in 2001, so they are 23 years old. Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. called da Silva a “mini-Franz.” “I think he plays very similarly, shoots similarly and finishes at the basket similarly. I advised him that he should just follow Franz and learn everything from him. Franz is a fantastic player, he just has to copy him and he will be very successful in this league.”
Da Silva actually has all the qualities of a modern one Forwardsdefensively and offensively. He is 2.03 meters tall (five centimeters shorter than Franz Wagner), which means he is present under the basket, but also agile, tricky and accurate from a distance. He should still gain muscle mass, but that can be achieved with training. What you can hardly learn, however: instinct. And Silva often gets this attested.
Praise from Franz Wagner and brother Oscar
“He’s always right and makes quick decisions. That makes the game a lot easier for everyone else.” Franz Wagner ennobled his new teammate back in November. Tristan’s brother Oscar da Silva puts it this way in the BR interview: “He doesn’t think too much, he just gambles. He lets the game come to him and then always finds his solutions organically.”
He doesn’t think much, he just gambles.
Oscar da Silva is also a basketball player, national player and professional at Bayern Munich. The big brother as a role model – that is also a parallel to Franz Wagner. Both had followed their brothers into the US college league NCAA.
Via Boulder to Orlando
Da Silva played at the University of Boulder, Colorado from 2020 to 2024. Although he could have stayed there, he decided to enter the NBA draft in April. He was chosen 18th, came to Orlando and immediately impressed.
“He definitely doesn’t get enough credit as a rookie.”said local coach Jamahl Mosley after da Silva’s first half of the year. “He will continue to improve and grow with this team.” However, da Silva has to grow faster than expected. Before Franz Wagner, star player Paolo Banchero was already out, so the top performers in the forward positions have been missing for weeks.
Decent balance sheet despite staff shortages
The Magic can no longer match their winning streak from November, when they won 12 of 13 games with an outstanding Franz Wagner. But they are holding up well despite the personnel misery and have won three of the last five games. Da Silva plays a central role in this.
It is understandable that the rookie’s performance fluctuates. At the turn of the year, da Silva contributed 21 points to the win against Brookyn and 25 points to the win against Toronto. In between there was a defeat against Detroit with zero points from da Silva, he missed all six of his attempts.
Together with your brother for Germany?
“I just try to see it all as a journey. I feel like as a rookie you’re obviously going to have ups and downs. There are games where you don’t play so well, where a shot doesn’t go in. And “There are games like tonight that make you feel really good,” said da Silva after the win against Toronto – the 25 points were a personal record.
Da Silva has long been seen as a hope for the German national team. Theoretically, he could also play for Brazil, his father is a former Brazilian boxer and runs a bar in Munich. However, da Silva is unlikely to miss the chance to play for Germany together with his big brother. It would be the closest parallel to Franz Wagner.