The Orlando Magic are only four games into the 2025-26 season, and it hasn’t exactly gone according to plan, as the team is 1-3 while looking out of sync on both ends.
There have, however, been bright spots for this team to point to – Rookie Jase Richardson impressing more and more with every minute he plays on the court; Franz Wagner willing his way to the rim with decelerating footwork, Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze crashing the glass to help win the rebounding battle, the flashes of Desmond Bane’s shooting gravity mixed in two-man game with Paolo Banchero’s downhill force.
One player, however, stands out for his consistently strong play and improvement from last season.
Oct 22, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) reacts after making a three point basket against the Miami Heat in the second quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
In one analytical area, Tristan da Silva’s name can’t be denied.
da Silva appears in half of the Magic’s Top-15 two-man lineup combos, including 4 of the top-5 ratings and 6 of the top-9 ratings, according to NBA Stats.
The Magic have a positive net rating ranging from +4 to +45 when pairing Tristan with any of the following players: Wendell (+45), Paolo (+33), Black (+33), Suggs (+26), Tyus (+12), Franz (+7), Goga (+6), Bane (+4)
That’s right – throw da Silva on the court next to any Magic player in the top-9 rotation, and Orlando has posted a positive if not fantastic net rating while they are out there.
While this stat is an extremely small sample that can change by the game until much bigger samples are generated, it makes one thing clear – da Silva’s versatile game complements just about any lineup he’s playing in.
da Silva’s game is so malleable it allows him to easily scale his role based on the lineup he’s in; Orlando can rely on da Silva as a plug-and-play 3&D option with the starters at the 3 or the 4 anytime one of Wagner or Banchero is out of the lineup, they can roll him out as a spark plug sixth man scorer who lights up second units, or they can experiment with small-ball spread-offense combinations to let him loose.
His all-around skillset is well-suited for this Magic team because it allows him to mesh with the starters in a smaller off-ball play-finisher role while also providing opportunity to score as a more important option in the pecking order against second units. da Silva can splash the open three, attack closeouts, keep the ball moving, and plays hard without the ball on cuts, offensive rebounds, and running the floor in transition.
While his role will likely change every night, his playing time should only increase to help Tristan continue to build out a bigger role with more reliable production.
There’s no reason a player this productive should be a game-time decision on whether or not he’s going to have real minutes that night. That said, this team is super deep, and still finding their best rotations and lineups; some patience might be needed before we see the Tristan in his final form.
Orlando Magic offense has a trick up its sleeve
Wagner attacking among 3 keys to Magic win in Philadelphia
Magic player unleashing revenge game among 3 keys to bounce back win
Trae Young chews up Magic in Hawks win
Scoring off turnovers among 3 keys to victory as Orlando hosts the Hawks