2024 Prospect Spotlight: Tristan da Silva

[Jamaaliver]

An Upperclassman climbing up my personal draft board. If we're trying to compete next year, a Jaime Jaquez-like rookie at the SF/PF positions could provide valuable depth. His strong team defense and outside shooting fit perfectly with what Quin wans to do.

Tristan Da Silva | Colorado | Senior

Matchup problem who finds a way to contribute no matter what his own team’s scheme is

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Shades Of: Kyle Anderson

Age------------23 years old
Height--------6'9"
Weight--------220 lbs


PLUSES

• Effortless spot-up 3-point shooter who’s made nearly 40 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s in college, per Synergy.
  
• Coordinated at-rim finisher with a knack for opportunistic cuts and sealing off defenders under the rim, then using either hand to hit hook shots.
  
• Capable of making every pass. He can run the break or a pick-and-roll and make creative left-handed wraparound passes to rollers. He makes entry passes look easy. Colorado stuck him in the middle of zones to pick apart defenses.
  
• Competitive defender with the quickness to switch screens and the awareness to make timely rotations off the ball.

MINUSES

• Lacks explosive athleticism, which limits his ability as a roller and lob finisher, as well as his capacity to turn the corner on drives.
  
• He doesn’t inhale rebounds, and he’s not the most vertical athlete, so he’s best served as a forward and may not have the flexibility to play as a small-ball center.

The Ringer

[Jamaaliver]

Look at this shooting chart!!
Elite Catch and Shoot weapon.

Spoiler:

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Tristan da Silva | SF/PF | Colorado | Age: 22.8 | Top 100: No. 18

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One of the big winners of March thus far, da Silva finished his excellent senior season on a strong note, with Colorado beating Boise State and Florida before coming close to an upset of Marquette on Sunday. He scored 54 points and went 9-of-16 from 3 in three tournament games, playing an immensely important role for the Buffaloes on both ends of the floor and showcasing the versatility that makes him a pretty safe bet to find a spot in the NBA in relatively short order.

While not a high-volume scorer by nature, da Silva has the right array of skills to provide valuable connective tissue in different types of lineups, and he can do it on both ends of the floor. The knock on him long centered on his passive approach to scoring but he's taken a jump in that area, proving he can step up when called upon as a scorer, displaying a comfort level getting into his shot off the catch and off the dribble, as well as cutting and attacking closeouts. He's also a smart passer with solid positional size, making good decisions that should let him fit nicely alongside better talent.

Da Silva needs to get a bit stronger and could be more physical in general, but he's a fluid mover who can switch defensively, showcasing good acumen away from the ball in rotations. He has an ability to alter shots by closing out as well as around the basket and the agility to stay with smaller players. While not a stopper in one-on-one situations, he does project as a solid team defender out of the box, which coupled with his offensive game makes for a pretty attractive mix of skills. It's ultimately not too hard for coaches to find minutes for role players who do the things da Silva does at a high level, and he would seem to be on very good footing headed into the pre-draft process. -- Woo

[Jamaaliver]

The size. The efficiency. The ice water in his veins.

I believe he could fill in at backup PF/SF as a rookie.

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[vincecarter4pres]

Have watched Colorado for Cody Williams a number of times this year, and repeatedly come away wondering why da Silva doesn’t garner first round lock draft buzz, and truthfully, mid-late lottery to late teens.

Very complete player, prototypical NBA forward, has the athleticism, tools, frame, shooting and the aggression.

Wouldn’t at all be surprised if 5 years later we’re looking back at a 17/5/3 guy with smarts and high level defense who fits in almost any lineup, and worst case a big minute rotation player any team would covet.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

Tristan da Silva is a flamethrower. Elite Catch and shoot threat with few weaknesses.
If he makes it out of the lottery, I snatch him up quickly with the Kings pick.

I had him pegged as the next Jaime Jaquez Jr., but with this level of shooting, might he be closer to a Jalen Williams-level prospect?

NOTE: Red = good on the chart below.

Spoiler:

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[Jamaaliver]

Tristan da Silva rocketing up NBA Draft boards after NCAA Tournament run

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Tristan has gone on to have a stellar career with Colorado. He embodied the role of being a “Senior leader” and was the steady hand beside KJ Simpson, who was the floor general. Colorado would not have been in the position they were to make a tournament run, if it wasn’t for the steadying influence da Silva added to the team.

For most of the season draft pundits have had da Silva firmly in the latter half of the second round. Something that should feel borderline disrespectful for anyone who has watched him play over the past two seasons. Is Tristan the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki? No. Can he play the stretch four at the NBA level and bring a Euro skill set to the table? Absolutely. One of the issues facing projecting future NBA players is an affection for those volume scorers. Everyone is looking for the next 30/5/5 guy. While there is evidence to support the idea that da Silva can score in bunches and score a variety of ways, to put the expectations of Nowitzki, Gasol, or even Peja would be unfair by any measure. In today’s NBA there is absolutely a place for da Silva and pulling up the back end of the NBA draft is really underselling what he’s good at.

Da Silva is an all-around quality player who can do a little of everything and a handful of specific things very well. da Silva was second in scoring average, fourth in rebounding, third in assists, fourth in FG%, sixth in three-point percentage, and third in free throw percentage of all Colorado players.

Fast forward to the NCAA Tournament play-in game. Da Silva put up 20 points, three rebounds and went 64 percent from the floor against seeded Boise State. In the next round against Florida, da Silva racked up 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and shot 70 percent from the floor in an upset win of the Gators. Not to mention, a similar performance in the loss to Marquette. And just like that, low and behold, the national pundits started to change their tune on da Silva. He finished the Tournament averaging 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, nearly two steals, while shooting 60 percent from the field.

[As a result], da Silva’s stock is rising. He’s ready for the next level. He’s not going to catch top waves right out of the gate, but there is a place in the NBA for the Buffs standout. And it’s not pulling up the back end of the draft. It took being on the national stage for all this to happen. Da Silva is starting to get the attention and respect he deserves. In a landscape of one-and-dones, he’s refreshing and much further developmentally than most of the players who will be drafted based on upside and not production. Da Silva’s leadership will be an asset to any locker room he enters. Somewhere mid-to-late first round is where he should be drafted. It’s just a shame it took national pundits this long to figure out what da Silva actually can do.

SI.com

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Tristan da Silva | Colorado | PF/SF | 23 Years Old

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A player I’ve been quite high on throughout the season is Tristan da Silva out of Colorado, and it feels like teams are also interested. He had a spectacular NCAA Tournament run, where he had 20 points against Boise State, 17 points and five assists against Florida and 17 points with three assists against Marquette. On the season, he averaged 16 points, five rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from 3 and 83.5 percent from the line. Those percentages are essentially directly in-line with his career percentages of 49.3 from the field, 38.6 from 3 and 78.6 from the line over four years. I’m probably a touch higher than league consensus by placing him at No. 19, but I do think he hears his name called in the first round.

The Athletic

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[Jamaaliver]

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