WALTHAM, Mass. -- In the span of mere minutes at Thursday's trade deadline, Boston Celtics center Chris Wilcox went from near castoff to the most important backup big man on the team.

Wilcox reportedly was close to being shipped to the Washington Wizards as part of a deal that brought shooting guard Jordan Crawford to Boston. But Wilcox utilized a clause in the collective bargaining agreement to veto a potential deal and the team ultimately sent veteran Jason Collins to Washington, along with injured Leandro Barbosa, to complete the swap.

Chris Wilcox has hit 76.5 percent of his shots in averaging 6.5 points in four games since the trade deadline. AP Photo/Paul Connors

To Wilcox, a former NCAA champion who has never tasted NBA playoff basketball, there was simply too much unfinished business in Boston. A heart ailment forced him to miss the postseason last year and he couldn't fathom another mid-April finish this season.

"The main thing is this team gave me a second chance at getting back into the league, so I wanted to come back here and prove my point, let them know that I appreciate everything they did for me so far," Wilcox said.

It was one year ago this week that Wilcox first learned of the enlarged aorta that sacked his 2011-12 season and prevented him from getting that first taste of playoff basketball.

He underwent surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on March 29 and an uncertain future awaited. The Celtics re-signed Wilcox this summer to a minimum contract with the hopes he could regain the form he showed just before his heart woes arose.

Back issues slowed him in training camp and a thumb injury forced him to miss extended time early in the season. All that, coupled with inconsistent play on the defensive end, had relegated Wilcox to an emergency body before injuries ravaged Boston's depth in February.

So the team seemed willing to move on without him. Playing on his second minimum contract with the team (despite being waived to clear a roster spot last year), Wilcox is set to have Early Bird rights after this season -- a designation that could help him earn a bigger payday.

It also gave Wilcox the ability to veto any trade because a swap would have forced him to forfeit those impending rights. Despite the somewhat awkward situation, he expressed gratitude to the team for giving him the chance to prove his worth.

"They took a chance on me, bringing me back after the trade deadline, so I just wanted to come out and play hard," Wilcox said.

Over the four games since the deadline, Wilcox has responded by averaging 6.5 points on super-efficient 76.5 percent shooting along with 4.5 rebounds over 20 minutes per game. The Celtics -- 3-1 in that span -- are plus-28 with Wilcox on the floor in that stretch, and his impact is further reflected in solid numbers in both offensive (116.6) and defensive (95.4) ratings (points allowed per 100 possessions) when he's on the floor.

Wilcox admits that what the team is asking him to do hasn't really changed. But without Collins, he got thrust into a bigger role -- first big off the bench spelling Kevin Garnett early on -- and has made the most of consistent minutes.

"My role has been basically the same the whole time, but it's just more so being consistent and having minutes to play again," Wilcox said. "At one point I was playing like four or five minutes and it was kind of tough to be consistent, and not knowing if you were going to play tonight or not. But now I know my role, I know when I'm coming in, I know what I need to do to prepare. I think now it's just more going out and playing my game."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who offered pointed words about Wilcox's underwhelming play and essentially challenged the veteran big man after the deadline, admits he's answered the call thus far.

"He really has. Since we made the trade, I think Chris has been pretty good," Rivers said. "He's playing with great effort, he's running the floor, setting picks. He's been good for us."

Rivers notes he didn't have much of a choice, cracking, "He was the only [big] left." But Rivers also noted that Wilcox sought out the coach in the aftermath of the trade deadline to discuss his role moving forward.