Boston Celtics: Getting to know newly signed Xavier Silas
The Boston Celtics are shorthanded with injuries and because of that, they’ve signed Xavier Silas to a 10-day contract.
The Boston Celtics have continuously been on the short end of the stick when it comes to injuries. They’ve seen Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Marcus Morris, Marcus Smart and Gordon Hayward all go down at various points throughout the season.
Morris, along with Terry Rozier, have been carrying the team through their offense in the absence of their key players. However, throughout the season, Morris and the rest of the team have not been able to find ways to stay healthy.
Morris has helped the Celtics out a lot these last few games by providing big scoring nights, but he was sidelined one game due to an ankle injury and left Monday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns because of the same injury. Thankfully Brown has came back after one of the scariest falls in basketball you’ll see.
In an effort to help shore up any long-term absences from their players, the Celtics went out and signed Xavier Silas. This will allow Boston to run more guys off the bench or delay any rush in bringing the starters back too early.
Silas is a shooting guard who stands in at 6’5″ and 205 pounds. He originally played college basketball at the University of Colorado Boulder, then transferred to Northern Illinois for his junior and senior year. He finished playing college basketball in the spring of 2011.
Unlike a lot of players you might see, Silas has not given up on his chance of playing in the NBA. He’s currently 30 years old and has been playing pretty much anywhere you’d imagine.
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He’s done a lot of bouncing around, playing for several G League teams, played internationally, played for Ice Cube’s BIG3 league and he’s been signed and waived a few times in the NBA. He did make an appearance for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2011-12 season, but only managed to play in two games.
He’s been productive this season playing for the Northern Arizona Suns, averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.1 blocks per game.
He can score from anywhere on the floor — inside the paint, from the mid-range or from beyond the arc. This season he’s also attempted 9.4 3-pointers per game and has made 3.6 of those – good for an average of 38.3 percent.
The Celtics are going to be getting a player that can essentially help them score the ball, which, quite frankly, is something they need more than anything. Boston ranks 20th in the NBA in points per game, averaging just 104.2.
Although, they have improved in this area over the last 15 games, averaging 108.6 points per game. This is impressive considering how many of their injuries happened in the last 15 games.
Silas may only be on the team for one 10-day contract, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they give him an extended look because of his offensive help and the injury issues they’ve been battling. Who knows? They may be getting a player who’s playing with a chip on his shoulder because of his past experience bouncing around so many different leagues.
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If he wants to make a name for himself and prove he deserves to be on an NBA team, then there’s no place better to start than with Brad Stevens and this injured Celtics team. He’ll be able to get playing time and learn under one of the better coaches in the NBA.