The Dallas Mavericks signed former South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chris Silva to a 10-day contract on January 31st.
Silva played four seasons for the Gamecocks. In 2016-17, he was a critical member of South Carolina’s Final Four team. He started all 37 games and averaged 10.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks.
As a junior, he averaged 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 25.8 minutes per game. He was the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, alongside Robert Williams of Texas A&M.
In 2018-19, he averaged a career-high 15.2 points on 50.8 percent shooting to go along with 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. Following the season, he entered the NBA Draft. He was not selected, but he signed a two-way contract with the Miami Heat as an undrafted free agent.
Over his first two NBA seasons, he ended up appearing in 55 total games for the Heat, albeit averaging only 7.8 minutes per game. In 2021, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings as part of the Nemanja Bjelica deal. He played four games for the Kings, then was waived.
Last season, Silva had brief stints with the Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves. This season, he has been playing for the College Park Skyhawks in the G-League.
Image credit: Gamecock Central, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
