The Brazilian-German forward explains his progression from a debut season spent almost entirely on the FC Barcelona bench to becoming a full-time starter.
Oscar Da Silva, Barcelona: 'I've shown that I belong'
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When he arrived to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022, thinks were looking up for Oscar Da Silva.
He had enjoyed a solid Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut with ALBA Berlin, for whom he averaged 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds at just 23 years old. Among the many heads he turned that season was that of Sarunas Jasikevicius, then the head coach at Barca, who signed him for the Catalan team.
Learning from Mirotic
Last season, Da Silva made 27 appearances – none of them as a starter – and averaged a little over 12 minutes on the court. His numbers compared to those with ALBA dropped drastically, which was understandable as he had former MVP Nikola Mirotic ahead of him at power forward.
"[Nikola] Mirotic was definitely one of the guys I idolized in this league," Da Silva says.
Even if he did not enjoy a lot of playing time during that season, Da Silva tried to make the most of it by learning from one of the best power forwards in the league.
"I tried to pick his brain a bit last year to understand a little bit how he sees the game," Da Silva continues. "It was very helpful to ask him about some reads he does in certain situations on the court, decisions that he makes in the low post or on mismatches."
A second season with a bigger role
Da Silva's second season at Barcelona started with Roger Grimau arriving as the new head coach and Mirotic leaving for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.
A new chance opened for Da Silva, who has proven these last months that he can be an asset for the team.
"I want more responsibility, I want to be on the court more, I want to have more influence on the game," he adds.
And Grimau is obliging. So far this season, Da Silva has started in 16 of his 18 appearances and is on court almost 16 minutes every night. Little by little, he feels like he is living up to the expectations put on all the players who land on such a successful club.
"I think I still have to earn a little bit of trust and play with a little bit more consistency on both ends," Da Silva concludes. "But so far I think I've shown that I belong, and I want to stay in that category."