The Buffs will be a Pac-12 contender in 2023-24.
Colorado Buffaloes forward Tristan da Silva announced via Instagram on Wednesday that he will return to Boulder for the 2023-24 season. Da Silva tested NBA Draft waters and withdrew his name before this week’s deadline.
The Bavarian will have a long professional career, but this is expected news. He was a borderline top-100 prospect on most expert’s big boards, meaning he was expected to go undrafted if he kept his name in the draft. Perhaps he could have increased his draft stock during the draft combine, but he was not among the 78 attendees in Chicago.
What this means for the Buffs is that they will have their best player back for a season of high expectations. (Da Silva might be the best returning player in the Pac-12, depending on how you feel about Oumar Ballo and Adem Bona.) (Da Silva is also a better player at this point than Cody Williams, even if the five-star freshman has NBA-caliber athleticism and wayyy more potential.)
As of now, this is the projected rotation for the Buffs:
G — KJ Simpson, Jr.
G — Cody Williams, Fr.
F — Tristan da Silva, Sr.
F — Luke O’Brien, Sr. / J’Vonne Hadley, Sr.
C — Eddie Lampkin, Jr.
6th — Julian Hammond III, Jr.
7th — Hadley / O’Brien
8th — Javon Ruffin, rSo.
9th — Assana Diop, Fr.
10th — Courtney Anderson, Fr.
11th — Joe Hurlburt, rFr.
12th — RJ Smith, rFr.
It’s also worth noting the Buffs have one more open scholarship and it seems they’re waiting on one specific player to be approved for a sixth-year of eligibility. (His name reminds us of trees, woods and berries). That player, if he chooses to come to Boulder, would slot into the shooting guard spot and start alongside Simpson, Williams, da Silva and Lampkin. We should be an NCAA Tournament team with TDS back and probably a Sweet Sixteen team if Tad Boyle lands that last transfer.