Who is Xavier Silas?

by Jordan Sams on Jul 1, 2011 3:15 PM PDT in Philadelphia 76ers Player Profiles

PHILADELPHIA PA - DECEMBER 18: Xavier Silas #13 of the Northern Illinois Huskies drives for a shot attempt against the Temple Owls at the Liacouras Center on December 18 2010 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

A few days ago Scott Powers of ESPN's Chicago Colleges Report posted a blog entry about former Northern Illinois guard, Xavier Silas, being promised a training camp invite by our very own Philadelphia Sixers.

After going undrafted last week, Silas was asked by the Philadelphia 76ers to pass on any overseas offers and wait to attend their veteran training camp whenever the league resolves its collective bargaining agreement.

Last week's draft left many Sixers fans alike feeling underwhelmed. The words boring, predictable, disappointing and lackluster have been used to describe last Thursday's events. Let's not act like an unwritten promise to a 23 year-old undrafted free agent – who ranked 99 on Draft Express' top 100 prospects – to come to a training camp that may not even happen, prior to a season that may not happen will relieve the stank from the Sixers draft, but based on a couple minutes of surfing the web, Silas already seems more entertaining and intriguing than Nikola Vucevic and Lavoy Allen combined.

Make the jump to learn more about the X-man.

The 23 year-old measured 6'5" in shoes, 196 pounds, 4.6% body fat, with a 6'8.5" wingspan and a 37.5" vertical. In 26 games at Northern Illinois Silas averaged 22 points per game with respectable percentages of .459/.431/.851. And for all you advanced stats guys, he recorded an impressive True Shooting percentage of 59.8, along with an equally impressive 13.2 defensive rebound percentage from a guard.

The negative: The Huskies were actually +82 points when Silas was on the bench. His 4 turnovers per game probably contributed to Silas' negative +/-.

Here are two interviews with Silas via Hoops World and one following a workout with the Sacramento Kings. Xavier seems like a real charismatic, confident and well-spoken dude. He mentions defense, effort and toughness multiple times as things he wants to bring to an NBA team.

In case you were wondering Xavier did indeed workout for the Sixers and he documented the outfit he wore to the workout in this YouTube video, ensuring the viewers that "if you look good, you feel good, and you play good".

Speaking of looking good, feeling good and playing good Xavier documented his outfit on YouTube before nearly all of his workouts. The video below is probably my favorite of the series:

We shall see if the Sixers' "promise" to Silas will ever come to fruition with the lockout, combined with training camp (if it happens) being so far away. If Silas does end up in Sixers camp the chances he actually makes the roster are probably small, but he's an interesting guy to keep an eye on. Follow him on Twitter @XavierSilas. Here's a sample tweet:

Have a handful of swagger that's too much to handle. Saturate your dreams with a confidence in your life and your new found plan. Cut drama.

And who knows, maybe he'll be this year's Jodie Meeks (a second-rounder in 2009), or Anthony Morrow, who also went undrafted. His combination of size, shooting ability (although his form is a little weird) and character could earn him a spot on some NBA team. Why not the Sixers?

Can you tell it's the lockout yet?

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Comments

Pimping aint easy

by Nature on Jul 1, 2011 4:42 PM PDT reply actions

but its necessary

by JKM-76- on Jul 1, 2011 7:55 PM PDT up reply actions

So I’m chasin’ b******* like Tom chasin’ Jerry….

I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, there will be no trade for Monta!

by dweebowitz on Jul 1, 2011 8:27 PM PDT up reply actions

I like this kid. A big physical guard, I’d take him to mentor him as Lou’s replacement(IE: Maybe, just maybe he can make the successful conversion to point guard). Done are the days where we lose the lead because Lou can’t run the offense.

by LeQuan Glover on Jul 1, 2011 4:51 PM PDT reply actions

O man, I can’t take much more of Lou running point.

by wannabgm on Jul 1, 2011 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions

But guys, he hit a game winning shot in the playoffs against the Heat!!!!

Times change, like the climate I change. Check the forecast. I reign.

by secondroundpick on Jul 1, 2011 6:20 PM PDT up reply actions

One of the worst game winning shots ever I’ve seen, as Jrue and Lou played hot potato 30 feet from the freaking court and I’m like “Oh god…..Fail incoming” and when Lou launches 30 foot three I’m like. “Oh well, we got swept” Then it goes in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If we need a scoring guard to back-up Jrue, I want a guy with a head on his shoulder. Which Lou isn’t. But it looks like Xavier is that guy

by LeQuan Glover on Jul 1, 2011 8:02 PM PDT up reply actions

What makes it extra maddening is that Turner is better with his ball in his hands than Lou.
Lou is better off the ball than Turner.

Yet Collins did the opposite.
Lou is a dangerous crunch time offensive weapon without the ball in his hands. You don’t have to run too many plays for him. And he doesn’t have to run point or pound the rock at the top of the key. He’ll score points in crunchtime by just being on the court playing off all our drive and kick guys.

Maddening.

by wannabgm on Jul 4, 2011 8:01 AM PDT up reply actions

I would only believe you saying this if you have synergy and watched every crunch time play where Lou doesn’t have the ball in his hands and proved to be “dangerous”, as you say.

I don’t have synergy, but from what I’ve seen, a majority of the time Lou is on the floor the offensive stop and everyone watches Lou dribble the air out of the ball.

"I admire his competitiveness. As much as I admire it, I thought that he was trying too hard."- Eddie Jordan

by jefu on Jul 4, 2011 12:17 PM PDT up reply actions

I don’t have synergy. I’m remembering several years ago when the offense didn’t start in his hands and yet he was a decently effective weapon in the 2nd half of games playing off of Miller and Iguodala. Since then, I think his catch and shoot 3 pointer from the corner has actually improved…even more reason for him to be playing off the ball more. He’s not RIP Hamilton playing off the ball, and he doesn’t have Meeks’ volume shooting ability. But he’s more capable of being effective off the ball than Turner, Jrue, or Iguodala. I’ve seen it. Although the past 2-3 years it’s been mostly in glimpses while for some crazy reason coaches have tried to make him a point guard.

by wannabgm on Jul 5, 2011 4:49 AM PDT up reply actions