FILM ROOM: Clara Silva might just be one of the best freshman bigs in the country

PStevensKSR

film-room-clara-silva-might-just-be-one-of-the-best-freshman-bigs-in-the-country — Photo of Clara Silva by FIBA

Welcome to the eighth edition of KSR’s Film Room series, a weekly series where we’ll be taking a look at each player on Kentucky’s 2024-25 roster and breaking down their film. Next, we take a look at incoming freshman center Clara Silva (pronounced cl-are-a, by the way. Not cl-air-a like Clara Strack).

You can also view our other Film Room breakdowns by clicking below.

Silva is going to be one heck of a college basketball player if things continue to trend the way they are now. Even the folks over at ESPN said she would have been a Top 10 rated player in the 2024 class if she played in the U.S. She’s been dominating in international competition — even averaging 20.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for Portugal in the FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket so far.

When Kenny Brooks gets Silva ingrained in his system, Silva is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Using her size to her advantage down low

This could apply to her all-around game, but in this case, we’re specifically talking about her offensively.

At 6-foot-7, Silva is going to have the size advantage over 99% of the opponents she goes up against in the paint. Sometimes, scoring doesn’t need to be flashy. If you’re bigger and stronger than you’re opponent, just use your physical gifts to put the ball in the bucket. It can be that simple.

Silva also possess tremendous footwork down low, which isn’t something you would necessarily expect from someone of her stature. She can make various kinds of moves to get herself open, even when the defense is right up against her.

Having mobility on defense and contesting shots

Something that traditional bigs really struggle with is perimeter defense, and no, Silva isn’t going to be out on the three-point line guarding the point guard (not ideally at least). However, she can certainly keep up with smaller and quicker perimeter players if need be.

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Again, her length and size make her imposing defensively. Obviously, she’s an excellent rim protector, but she can get a hand up and deflect some jumpers too.

Silva is pretty quick and agile, so in off-script scenarios where things start to break down, she can guard multiple positions if need be. Her versatility on defense is something that may fly under the radar.

Letting the game come to her and playing smart

Lastly, the biggest thing that college freshmen struggle with the most is adjusting to the speed of the college level. And sure, Silva will certainly go through that period of adjustment, especially not arriving on campus until later this month, but she already shows signs of playing with poise.

Silva is one of the best players on the Portuguese teams in every single event. Whether it’s U18 or U20, she is dominant. When a player is dominant like that, you’ll sometimes see them sort of spiral out of control at times — trying to do too much. One could argue that was a bit of a flaw in Dazia Lawrence‘s game while she was at Charlotte.

However, Silva let’s the game come to her, and she plays like an experienced vet. Instead of forcing shots (because that’s what really skilled players do sometimes), she plays patiently and finds an open teammate. When she gets to Kentucky, that’s going to be invaluable considering all the shooters she’ll be surrounded by.