Former South Carolina forward Chris Silva found his new NBA home on Thursday evening.
According to a Tweet from the Atlanta Hawks, the team signed the former Gamecock and he will be making his way to Atlanta.
Silva has played in 69 games in his NBA career. In those 69 games, Silva has played for the Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves. In those games, Silva averaged 2.8 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Last season, Silva played in nine games with the Heat and one game with the Timberwolves. In those ten games, Silva averaged 2.6 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Silva last season had a long run of 10-day contracts with the Timberwolves and the Heat. According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Silva earned nearly $400,000 from the 10-day contracts. Winderman said in a Tweet that Silva “has basically earned more on 10-days than a two-way player.”
During his time as a Gamecock in 2015-19, Silva got better and better each year. In the 2017 Final Four run, he played a pivotal role on the team. Silva was voted a first-team All-SEC player in 2018 and 2019 and was also named Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.
In each year from 2015-2019, Silva saw his total minutes increase. As a freshman in 2015, he played a total of 425 minutes. As a senior, Silva saw 856 minutes of court action. His points per game also increased each year. In his senior season, Silva averaged 15.2 points per game.
During the Final Four run, Silva was a starter in each game during the NCAA Tournament. Against Marquette, he scored 10 points and had five rebounds in 26 minutes of play. Against Duke, Silva had another strong game. He scored 17 points and had ten rebounds in 30 minutes of play.
Against Baylor in the Sweet 16, Silva scored 12 points and had seven rebounds. In the Elite Eight against Florida, he scored 13 points and had nine rebounds. Then, in the Final Four game against Gonzaga, Silva had another strong game that included his second double-double. He had 13 points and also grabbed 13 rebounds.