Silva is on the rise
Spoelstra says rookie needs to cut down on the fouls
Miami Heat forward Chris Silva reacts
HOUSTON — There is nothing wrong with Chris Silva’s ears; the Miami Heat rookie actually is hearing constant whistles.
Despite his limited playing time, Silva entered Wednesday night’s road game against the Houston Rockets ranked 11th in the NBA in fouls per minute, at 0.27. It has been among the factors limiting the opportunities for the forward who is on a two-way contract after going undrafted last June out of South Carolina.
Then again, the issue might have been a factor why he went undrafted, despite NBA-level rebounding and defensive abilities.
“That was one of my biggest problems in college,” said Silva. “But I’ve got to adjust, so it won’t be the same on this level.”
The Heat have on the concern.
“Drill him. Work on it. Watch film,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of the three-step process. “He’s been very dedicated to it. He knows how important it is, to be able to defend and still stay on the court. As long as he’s putting in that type of commitment to get better, he will. It won’t be overnight. This is a habit that takes some time. Now, on the flip side of it, he does so many things well with his athleticism and quick-twitch aggressiveness, that I don’t want to put handcuffs on him, either. So it’s going to take a great deal of drilling and getting comfortable with the balance.”
The drilling, however, remains limited. Because Silva is limited to 45 days in the NBA on his two-way contract, with the rest of the time required in the G League, he often is held out of practice in order to avoid burning an additional day. Such was the case Tuesday, while the rest of his teammates worked at AmericanAirlines Arena. been working
“In practice and reps and shootaround, we’re working on me not swiping down, keeping my hands up, and sliding, all of that,” Silva said. “Those are things I’m trying to learn to do, during practices, with the coaches.”
At times, the whistles have come so quickly that it has not been uncommon for Silva to be called for two fouls on the same defensive possession.
“It’s mind-boggling,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s getting me frustrated. I’ve got to keep my head in the game when I get one, be careful, be smarter, for the possession coming.”
Oh, Canada: Forward Kelly Olynyk, who participated with Canada’s national team in advance of this summer’s World Cup before being sidelined with a knee injury, said Wednesday he is heartened by so many NBA players offering to step up for his country in next summer’s Olympic qualifying tournament.
Among those in recent days who have made such commitments on social media are Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray and New Orleans Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
“It’s awesome,” said Olynyk, a Toronto native. “I commend them on coming out and stepping forward and making the jump and starting things off. It’s huge for us, huge for basketball as a country. And we need them if we want to be the best we can be.”
Having failed to qualify for the 2020 Olympics at the World Cup, Canada next will host one of four winner-take-all six-team qualifying tournaments for a berth.
Olynyk’s 2020 decision could come down to his status, with a player option on his Heat contract to potentially become a free agent in July.
“It depends obviously on health and my option next year, in free agency,” he said Wednesday. “But if I’m able to and I’m in that situation, I want to play. But I’ll have to see what the situation is first.”