Tristan da Silva has not done very much in EuroBasket to this point.<\/p>\n
He is coming off the bench and is really only counted on to be a 3-and-D wing. On this team, he is not even the best shooter coming off the bench with guard Maodo Lo on the team and Dennis Schroder often manning the point. Da Silva has had few opportunities.<\/p>\n
He has still taken them when they come. But he knows that is not his role. <\/p>\n
His role is purely additive. He is there to fill in gaps and take his chances when they are there. It is what the Orlando Magic will want from the second year forward.<\/a><\/p>\n His stats through the first three games were modest — 16 total points, 5-for-15 shooting and 1-for-7 shooting from three. The shot was not falling at the same rate it did during the friendlies. But it was hard to say da Silva was making any mistakes.<\/p>\n Then came Monday’s game against Great Britain.<\/p>\n In a game that Germany was expected to win and win big — 112-57 final score to move Germany to 4-0 — it was Tristan da Silva who was the starring player, or at least the leading scorer.<\/p>\n He had 25 points on 10-for-12 shooting, adding 5-for-7 shooting from three. It was the kind of breakthrough game that da Silva has been waiting for. The kind of game that is possible with his shooting ability.<\/p>\n It has always been about putting all the pieces together.<\/p>\n Against a weaker Great Britain team, da Silva showed what is possible. More than anything, it was a game to build confidence.<\/p>\n That is about the only thing Germany could get out of such a big blowout victory. And the Magic’s three players are gaining confidence very quickly.<\/p>\n Da Silva as a shooter<\/p>\n Tristan da Silva’s promise<\/a> was to have games like the one he had on Monday. One that he does not necessarily attack and create his own shots, but when the ball swings to him he can hit threes and make multiple threes in a game.<\/p>\n Da Silva had 19 games making two or more 3-pointers last year. Only one of those came after the All-Star break. That speaks to how much da Silva fell off as the season went on, whether that was hitting the rookie wall or being taken out of the rotation as the team got healthier.<\/p>\n He had a few big games worth noting — including hitting five threes in the January win over the Toronto Raptors and another five threes in the double overtime loss to the Miami Heat later that month.<\/p>\n That is to say, da Silva has shown the potential<\/a> to have games like the one he had Monday against Great Britain. It has been figuring out how to unlock that game in him.<\/p>\n It is always better to know a player can do something even in these settings. And da Silva at least showed he has this kind of game in him.<\/p>\n That is enough to gain some confidence. And that is what the Magic wanted to see from da Silva. there are still bigger challenges ahead. But da Silva has a place to launch from.<\/p>\n Franz in control<\/p>\n Of course, the biggest story of the game — the official player of the game — was Franz Wagner.<\/p>\n No one is surprised by his scoring exploits anymore. He is one of the best players in this entire tournament. A ho-hum 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting is nothing to write much about. <\/p>\n He made three of his four 3-pointers, including yet another step back, to bring him to 6 for 12 from three in four EuroBasket games.<\/p>\n