Orlando Magic fans had a keen eye for Eurobasket 2025 as it was a key tournament for Franz Wagner.
Wagner led Germany to the FIBA World Cup title two years ago, so they were looking to add more silverware this summer.
After Nikola Djokic’s Serbia was knocked out, Germany became a favorite to win the competition, defeating Turkey in the final to deliver.
Wagner scored 18 points against Türkiye and was later named one of the five best players at Eurobasket 2025.
But former NBA player Tim Legler was also impressed by another magical player in the tournament.
NBA podcaster Adam Mares raised the name of Tristan da Silva in a conversation about the Eurobasket final.
Selected on the 18th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Dasilva had a solid rookie season with magic.
He continued his form in the German Eurobasket campaign and was one of the “big winners” of the tournament.
“One of the people you didn’t mention. I’m very interested because I don’t have much of a thought about this player, but they’re really a big winner for me in Eurobasket, Tristan da Silva,” explained Mares.
“I thought he was an incredible player in this game. I thought he jumped into most of the tournament as a guy who thought, ‘He’s doing the NBA stuff.’
“Obviously he’s an NBA player, but he’s an impressive NBA thing. And he wasn’t just one of those people. He was outstanding in my opinion.”
Tim Legler admitted that he was already impressed with Da Silva in the Magic playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
Former Gold State Warriors shooting guards praised his defense at Eurobasket 2025, essential to Germany’s victory.
“So I called a couple (magic) game that included a playoff game a year ago and was very impressed with his defense,” he said. “He was on a team that was a really good defensive team.
“So they expect it, that’s what the organization, Jammer Mosley, demands, but he jumped out of my page.
“In this team, you can give birth to such a guy when you have all this other talent. This talent is more than this extra piece. The guy is a really good player and his defense was a big part of this.”
Wagner is clearly the best player in Germany, but point guard Dennis Schroeder won the Eurobasket MVP Award.
Perhaps it had something to do with Wagner’s lack of contribution in the fourth quarter of the final against Turkey.
“Who am I not mentioning yet? Franz had a really good statistical line,” added Legoler. “I didn’t notice him at all in the fourth quarter.
“I’m not trying to knock him. What I’m saying is, it’s how deep their team is with the people they play.
“Wagner is the best player on the team. He’s an NBA All-Star caliber player. He wasn’t really stretchy and offensively involved. It was the others.”