What Chris Silva's NBA decision could mean for South Carolina
Chris Silva on Tuesday announced plans to submit his name for the NBA draft. This marks the second consecutive year a South Carolina player has done this, leaving some to wonder if Silva will follow P.J. Dozier’s lead by hiring an agent and foregoing his senior season.
Dozier was a sophomore coming off USC’s run to the Final Four. The former Spring Valley star announced his intentions on April 12, 2017. He signed with an agent five days later. He went undrafted, but did appear in two games this past season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Carolina, meanwhile, went 17-16 and missed both the NCAA tournament and NIT. The Gamecocks struggled mightily to find Dozier’s point guard replacement. Sophomore Rakym Felder, who seemed poised to help fill the void, missed the fall semester because of legal troubles. Coach Frank Martin then chose to red-shirt Felder after he re-enrolled in January.
Silva, a third option to Dozier and Sindarius Thornwell as a sophomore, was quickly bumped to No. 1 in 2017-18. The 6-foot-9, 223-pounder drew plenty of attention from opposing teams, leading to things both good and bad for the Gamecocks.
On the plus-side, Silva averaged a team-best 14.3 points and finished second in the country in fouls drawn per 40 minutes. He led the nation in free throw rate, hitting 75 percent of his attempts.
One negative was he committed 21 more turnovers than his next closest teammate (Hassani Gravett). He also fouled out of a team-high five games.
Overall, however, he cemented himself as USC’s best player. Awards season proved that when Silva, as voted on by the league’s coaches, was named to the All-SEC first-team and shared co-defensive player of the year honors with Texas A&M’s Robert Williams.
Some bumps along the way, sure, but Silva has set himself up for a big – and potentially stock-rising – senior season.
“I think he’s going to have an outstanding senior year,” USC assistant Perry Clark said in early March. “I really do. I just think when you see the growth and now, all of a sudden, he’s worn the crown of being ‘The Guy.’ That takes some guys a little longer to be comfortable with and adjust to than others.
“Having gone through that, I just think that will make his senior year a lot easier.”
Popular mock drafts – as of Tuesday afternoon – do not include Silva among the 60 selections. His athleticism – see 124 career blocks (seventh-most in program history) and countless dunks – should make him attractive to pro scouts, but there’s still polishing left on his game. Some time around NBA personnel at next month's combine can only help.
A Silva return means the Gamecocks would have an SEC player of the candidate to mesh with veteran Maik Kotsar in the frontcourt. One starting wing is secured in promising rising sophomore Justin Minaya and another is pending as USC awaits the NCAA’s ruling on Brian Bowen, a former McDonald’s All-American. Felder, meanwhile, likely gets his chance to assume point guard responsibilities.
That’s a core that can compete in the SEC and beyond. Take Silva off of it and the Gamecocks have pieces, but not a battle-tested rock in the middle.
When Dozier left, USC had Felder. When Felder was suspended, USC had to blend Gravett and Wes Myers to make a point guard. The experiment had more downs than ups.
Who would replace Silva at the power forward position? Felipe Haase? Would it lead to extended minutes for Jason Cudd? How quickly can freshman Alanzo Frink develop? Can Kotsar can take on more of a scoring load? Can Martin get by with a smaller, quicker lineup?
Silva’s a bonafide answer for the Gamecocks in 2018-19. His departure would lead to a series of questions. He has until May 30 to decide.
This story was originally published April 17, 2018 at 5:22 PM with the headline "What Chris Silva's NBA decision could mean for South Carolina."