Wesley Alves Da Silva

Jonathan Givony

The oldest player on either roster, "Mogi's" week got off to somewhat of a slow start as he was hampered by the language barrier and a bruised foot he suffered on the first day of practice. He improved day by day and finished up very strong in the actual game, having one of the better showings among the international players, with 9 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 22 minutes of action.



Da Silva has average height, standing 6'5 1/2 in shoes, but makes up for that with a 6'10 wingspan, big hands, strong athletic ability, and an excellent frame that should fill out nicely in time.

Known as mostly a non-shooter for most of his career, Da Silva showed some glimmer of hope with his shooting mechanics in different stretches of the week, being far more consistent in catch and shoot situations than you might think considering his reputation. His pull-up jumper is a major work in progress, but his ability to stretch the floor with his feet set could help him carve out a role if he's able to become more consistent with it considering all the other things he does.

Mogi's ball-handling skills and overall feel for the game aren't quite as developed as you might hope. He is very aggressive using his athleticism in transition, but doesn't have the ability to create space for himself in the half-court anywhere near as effectively with his high and loose handle.

Defensively is where Da Silva is at his best at the moment, using his excellent physical tools, high intensity level and solid instincts to move his feet and make plays consistently in the passing lanes, on the glass and even blocking shots on occasion.

A little more raw than you might hope considering his age, Da Silva has lost considerable time in Brazil, where he's barely playing this season at the senior level with his very ambitious team. His limited English made his transition to this setting a little slower than some of the other players on the roster, but in the end he was able to show his talent level and also how he can effect a game on both ends of the floor. Automatically eligible in 2018, it wouldn't be surprising if Da Silva decided to throw his name into this draft class to see where he stands in the eyes of NBA teams after a solid week in Portland. Finding a place where he can continue to work on his skill-set will help him make up for the ground he's lost in Brazil, where developing young players unfortunately doesn't seem to be a major priority for teams.

Height (w/ shoes): 6-6.5
Weight: 189
Wingspan: 6-10
Hand Length:: 8.5
Hand Width: 8.25
Standing Reach: : 8-7.5
Country: : Brazil

Possessing nice size for a wing and the length to play some small forward, Mogi lacks a degree of physical strength, but measured as expected here, the first data point we have for him.

Another player we'll be keeping a close eye on next month in Portland is Brazilian wing Wesley Alves Da Silva, who goes simply by “Mogi” in his native country, because of the town he was born in.

Mogi had a tremendous showing this past summer at the adidas Nations camp in Los Angeles, leading all attendees in scoring and per-minute scoring at 23.8 points per game, and also opened some eyes at the U18 FIBA Americas Tournament in Colorado Springs in June of 2014. Disappointingly, he has had a tough time getting off the bench for his club team in Brazil, Paulistano, this season, as they are among the strongest in the league sitting in second place in the NBB with a 19-7 record. The 6'7 wing has impressive physical tools and demonstrates strong potential defensively, operating off the ball and in the open court. His skill-level and basketball IQ is still lagging behind his athleticism, though, so it will be very interesting to see how he fares in this setting, where he'll be the oldest player on the roster. Born in 1996, Da Silva could have already been in last year's draft, so a strong outing in Portland could very well lead him to make himself eligible this spring.

Mike Schmitz

Strengths:
-Very good size for a wing. Not yet physically developed, but has a big frame with a lot of room for growth. Long arms, big hands.
-Led Adidas Nations in PER (31) and points per 40 minutes (33.9)
-Very good athlete who can play above the rim in transition and the half court.
-Prolific in transition. Fills the lanes hard. Really good body control. Uses eurosteps.
-Creative finisher. Shot 67.4% from two on 20.6 attempts per 40 minutes pace adjusted. Doesn't shy away from contact. Gets to the free throw line.
-Long strides. Can straight line attack.
-Tremendous defender. Pressures the ball. Active hands. Makes plays off the ball.
-Plays with extremely high intensity and energy. Emotional player.
-Crashes the offensive glass. Not afraid to throw his body around.
-Moves really well off the ball. Doesn't stand in the corner. Always finds himself around the ball.
-Struggles from the perimeter but mechanics aren't broken. Hasn't had much coaching. Has recently made some tweaks to his shooting that could pay off long term
-Has improved as a passer. Not quite as wild as he's been in the past.

Weaknesses:
-Very limited ball handler. Carries the ball regularly. Struggles to create offense in the half court.
-Not a consistent threat to make shots from the perimeter. Doesn't have great natural touch. Career 16/50 (32%) 3P% in 1100 minutes. 3-pointers make up a very small fraction (14%) of his overall field goal attempts thus far in career
-No pull up game. Uncomfortable taking jump shots off the bounce.
-Right hand dominant, especially around the rim.
-Still has a tendency to get out of control and force up wild shots in the paint. Developing feel and passing ability.
-Room to add weight on his frame but is still fairly thin.

Outlook:
Albeit against some of the lesser teams at the camp, Wesley Da Silva (also called: Wesley Alves Da Silva) was one of the most productive players at Adidas Nations. He hasn't changed all that much since we first evaluated him at the 2014 FIBA Americas in Colorado Springs, but it's hard not to like his combination of physical tools, athleticism, defense, and non-stop motor. It remains to be seen where Da Silva will end up next season (some rumors indicate he may be moving to Spain), but he's without a doubt worth tracking as he continues to work on developing a consistent jumper, filling out his frame and tightening up his ball skills.