The German-Brazilian forward who also happens to be a Swiss army knife, da Silva will scratch the itch of those Raptors fans wanting to draft a do-it-all player while also filling out a position of need off the bench. Is his game all it’s cracked up to be? Is this as good as he’s going to get? We’ll see.
For those just joining this year’s draft series, be sure to check out the previous entries starting with Isaiah Collier here.
Tristan da Silva | 6’9.5 Forward/Wing | Colorado | 23 years old
The Intro
Those who have been following the draft series until now are likely noticing a pattern with the amount of multi-skilled prospects I’ve chosen to highlight in the Raptors’ draft range. While it’s mostly been guards and bigs, da Silva makes an appearance as the first forward on the list.
He provides a little bit of everything and plays with a hell of a lot of effort. The past two years have seen da Silva take a more involved role for the Buffaloes. Averaging a very similar statline across those two seasons, he’s shown to have a knack for remarkable consistency.
If you’re focused on making sure the pick at 19 isn’t going to bust in this weaker draft class, da Silva is probably your guy.
The Offence
Averaging a touch under 40% from deep in both of his last two seasons, TDS will be relied upon to be a sharpshooter in the NBA. His form, like his game, is fairly consistent. It’s quick with not a lot of wasted movement.
Serving as a spot up shooter at Colorado means da Silva quickly developed as an off ball mover and cutter, relocating to get open and ensure he could maintain his high efficiency. He covers a lot of ground very quickly and always burns his defenders who get caught ball watching.
TDS is an alright leaper if he has some steam, but his athleticism isn’t very explosive. I wouldn’t expect him to make many blow-bys as an ISO handler, though his handle is fairly solid for what he’s expected of. If you have a good shooter and cutter who can put the ball on the floor in rare situations, you’re going to come away happy with that.
He’s an ambidextrous finisher who showcases very good body control combined with strength and ball protection.
Not to mention he’s an amazing passer. I had to stop myself from including too many playmaking highlights for this piece.
Colorado used him to run some fastbreak, DHO, and PNR sets – and he showcased good vision, often making whip passes into corners, well aimed bounce passes, or passing over the heads and outstretched arms of defenders right into the chests of his teammates who were making their way to the rim. He navigates screens well while being a solid screener himself. He’s never selfish. If he’s locked up, he’ll look for the play rather than trying to force something that isn’t there. Having a player like TDS in Darko’s offence would make life a hell of a lot easier for the Raptors.
One important thing to note is that while he wasn’t typically the primary focus for Colorado’s offence, da Silva’s efficiency stayed high even when he was asked to increase his offensive load.
The Defence
Da Silva’s switchability should make him a very enticing potential addition for Toronto. Tall with a plus wingspan, I would expect da Silva to be tasked with guarding mostly 3/4, with maybe some bigger 2’s and smaller 5’s thrown in there. If there’s still some hints of the Vision 6’9 lurking in the team building philosophy, then I can imagine that Masai, Bobby, and Darko all still daydream about having multiple long, rangy defenders causing havoc in an adaptable defensive scheme. A plug and play forward like da Silva fits that bill. TDS was one of the most impactful defenders in college ball in terms of pure on-off numbers, even if his box score stats rarely reflected that.
I’ve been impressed with TDS’ quickness and defensive IQ. He doesn’t get caught on screens often, he rotates when needed, and his footwork is pristine, allowing him to keep in front of the faster/craftier offensive players in the game.
TDS, being a longer forward, also has some rim protection ability. When he’s beat, he’s excellent at coming in from the weak side to make a recovery play and deter shots at the rim. If he’s being posted up, he’ll use his verticality to make life difficult for the opponent.
Much like his offence, da Silva doesn’t really have a lot to complain about on the defensive end of the floor.
Brendan’s Take
In terms of safe picks in this class, da Silva is going to be a popular name. His teammate Cody Williams has drummed up a louder buzz during this draft cycle, and it’s not hard to understand why with his combination of measurables, on ball abilities, and relation to Jalen Williams of OKC… but I think there’s something to be said about the security that comes with selecting a player like da Silva.
This draft is quite flat in talent and has a lot of project players. The farther down the list you go, it’s statistically less likely you’re going to find a long term name. TDS may be older, he may not have the ball handling of Rob Dillingham, the shooting of Reed Sheppard, or the defence of Ryan Dunn, but he does all of those things adequately at the very least. When you’re a team picking in the teens who needs to add talent at any position and want a long term bench fixture who can contribute in any area, I don’t know why TDS wouldn’t be the first name to come to mind.
When I’m looking for guys who I think are safe bets to be good role players, I often think of the Tristan da Silvas of the NBA; guys like Norman Powell, Jaime Jaquez, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Naz Reid, and several other names who the average NBA fan wishes was on their team. Players who, after the draft took place, every GM looks back on and wonders “how did he fall so far?”. Players who have carved out a niche by being a Swiss army knife. These guys weren’t the flashy, sexy names at the top of the draft, they’re not stars, but managed to get a foothold by being malleable, consistent, and coachable contributors.
Tristan da Silva’s range is looking like it’ll be somewhere between late lotto to early 20’s. I have him at 15th on my big board. I believe he’s the player who makes the most sense at the 19th pick if the Raptors don’t want to target a big or a guard – he can do a little bit of everything and checks off a good chunk of the boxes that you would like as a player angling to be a valuable depth piece in the NBA.
Tomorrow we’re going to go back to the bigs. A fan favourite among Raptors fans this year from what I can tell, but somebody I’m personally a little lower on.
I wrote this piece while listening to New Radicals’ You Get What You Give on repeat. I don’t know why.
