Tristan Da Silva Scouting Report
Name: Tristan Da Silva
Birth date: May 15, 2001
Height/Weight: 6’8 ¼/217
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’10 ¼/8’8 ½
Hand size: 9 ½
Position: SF
Pre-Draft team: Colorado
Tools: Off-ball scoring, frame, versatility
Background: Brother of former NBA prospect Oscar Da Silva. A two-time All-PAC 12 honoree from Germany.
Season Stats: 16 PPG 5 RPG 2.4 APG 1.1 SPG 0.6 BPG 1.8 TOPG 2 FPG on 49/39.5/83.5
Pros:
Comfortable with his left hand and can finish with both hands at the rim
Projectable shooter with an easy release
Versatile shooting motions; stand-still & off screens
Thrives both on and off-ball
Adequate lateral quickness
Has a nice one-legged fade he should be able to continue to make more efficient
Strong pump fake
Good rebounder
Has a good head-fake on the perimeter to attack quickly, being able to leverage his floater
Randomly makes an effective flashy assist out of drives
Cons:
Needs to get better at closing defensive possessions
Can ball-watch/overhelp slashers to sacrifice shooters too much; maybe a system design
Must become fully consistent at capitalizing on getting defenders up & attacking closeouts; can wait too long to get going at times
Lacks consistent explosion; a bit stiff at times. Doesn’t explode even in space
Averaged more TOPG than assists as a junior
Was too passive offensively at times at Colorado
Swing Skills:
Mediocre awareness
How well his defense can be hidden/how his defense translates
Summary:
Tristan Da Silva becomes an easy target for being a sleeper when the perception of how he is being scouted changes. At Colorado, he was asked to be a do-it-all wing offensively, which is not what his NBA role will become. Instead, scouting him as a shooter first with secondary skills makes him much more desirable at 6’8.
Defensively, Da Silva has the size and adequate mobility to hold his own defensively, but his awareness is underwhelming, often not noticing plays right around him. Take this play against Arizona as an example. Maybe he couldn’t have made a great impact on the play, but the bigger picture issue of not knowing where the ball is puts him in a dangerous position defensively at any given time.
Additionally, Da Silva’s on-ball defense leaves a lot to be desired. As mentioned earlier, his mobility is adequate, but does not stand out, and he can be stiff and upright too often defending the perimeter. This allows for him to be easily beaten, and if he leaves his feet there is little chance of him recovering in time to make a positive impact.
With Da Silva’s thin margin for error on defense, his shooting and secondary offensive skills must be consistently sharp. Da Silva has a pure shooting stroke with great touch, and with his size, his combination of size + shooting is rare in this draft. Da Silva is one of only five prospects 6’8 or taller with strong shooting indicators: 80%+ from the free throw line and 37%+ from 3 on high volume. Furthermore, this archetype is so rare that only 19 players (since 2008) have been drafted fitting this criteria, and only 10 in the first round. With an 80% hit rate (the two misses being Tyler Lydon and DJ Wilson), the other eight that hit are: Cam Johnson, Cade Cunningham, Brandon Miller, Lauri Markkanen, Doug McDermott Gradey Dick (book is still out for him, but trending well), Trey Murphy, and Rodney Hood. In fact: Da Silva and Johnson compare similarly in all facets of the game, with Johnson’s 3 point shot having even more success in college:
Da Silva finds ways to help teammates by using his shooting as a weapon: he moves fluidly off-ball and he sees the floor well both before the catch and as he catches the ball. His ability to capitalize on defenses over-helping his jumper, particularly off of fakes that draw a defender in the air like below. This is where Da Silva can best maximize his playmaking, although he is able to make plays in other halfcourt settings.
If Cameron Johnson is the outcome for Da Silva, he will flirt with a top 10 pick. This would mean he ends up shooting well while finding a way to consistently make his teammates better, which is a dream outcome for a shooter with size and some defensive concerns. Landing at the right spot will be essential for Da Silva, since his defense is a swing skill that can either be exposed by a poor surrounding defense, or hidden by a great defense.
Projected draft range: 40-undrafted
Expected role: Shooter with occasional ability to create for himself or others and defend adequately.
Unplayable if: Decision-making and inconsistency attacking closeouts, and overall bad habits negate his shooting abilities, making him a target for opposing offenses.
Exceeds expectations if: Age doesn’t limit his upside, and his defense becomes maximized rather than being seen as a liability each night.
Videos:
10 consecutive made 3s in shootaround
Shot chart:
