Who Is Daniel Theis?

The Boston Celtics have dominated the basketball news cycle over the past week, first by trading their #1 pick to the Philadelphia 76ers and then with the never-ending rumors of what they may or may not do with the #3 pick.

Lost in the commotion was another bit of Celtics news. Daniel Theis, a 6’9” big man from Germany signed with the green and white for two seasons. Say what?

WHO IS DANIEL THEIS?

Daniel Theis is a 6’9”, 215 pound big man from Germany that is just 25 years old. Over the last 6 seasons, he has played in the German BBL, the top professional league in Germany. During his first season, he played sparingly for Braunschweig before moving over to Ratiopharm Ulm (90 miles from Munich, give or take) for two years. For the last three seasons, Theis has played for Brose Bamburg, the NY Yankees of German basketball (in the 21^st century). Mixed in with his international play, there was a brief Vegas Summer League stint with the Wizards in 2014.

STATS:

Team (Year)	Games	MPG	PPG	RPG	BPG	FG%	FT%	3PT%
Braunschweig (2011-12)	22	8	3.23	1.77	0.82	50.0%	66.7%	14.3%
Ulm (2012-13)	57	16.8	6.11	4.42	0.75	44.4%	76.6%	26.5%
Ulm (2013-14)	51	20.3	8.69	5.65	1.14	48.2%	75.8%	27.3%
Bamburg (2014-15)	62	20.6	9.45	5.19	1.10	49.2%	82.0%	33.3%
Bamburg (2015-16)	66	19.6	10.18	5.53	1.03	58.6%	74.3%	42.3%
Bamburg (2016-17)	74	19.2	9.72	5.23	1.14	57.7%	78.5%	33.3%

Now, none of these stats are going to jump out at you. Theis’ points per game steadily increased over the course of time (including regular BBL play, Eurocup and Euroleague action, etc). Imagine Bamburg as the UVA of German BBL with a slow, methodical, and efficient half-court offense. Given that Theis has never averaged over 21 minutes per game, his numbers start to look a little better on a per minute basis. This past season for example, Theis averaged 17.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per 36 min in the Euroleague, which is the top league internationally.

AWARDS:

In 2014, Theis won the “Best Young Player” award in the BBL, while beginning a string of four consecutive All-Star appearances. In 2016, Theis won the “Most Effective Player” award and this past season he was named as the “Best Defender” in the league.

2016-17 SEASON:

Coming into this past season in the German BBL, Theis was coming off back to back championships with Bamburg and was once again a part of a deep and talented team. Some names that might sound familiar are Darius Miller (Kentucky), Jerel McNeal (Marquette), Elias Harris (Gonzaga), and Maodo Lo (Columbia) and some names that you aren’t in Fabien Causeur, Nikolaos Zisis, and Nicolo Meli (side note: head coach Andrea Trinchieri is a name to know for his beautiful style of play).

Just like in past seasons, Theis came off the bench starting just two games all year. While that may sound a little weird, Bamburg had 11 players average over 16 minutes per game as they went 29-3 in the regular season and 9-1 in the playoffs. Despite coming off the bench, Theis led the league in blocked shots at 1.2 per game in just 18 minutes.

Take a look at Theis’ advanced stats in the BBL and he starts to stand out a bit more: 

• #1 in DRtg (92.9)
• #1 in Block Percentage (7.3%),
• #3 in Defensive Rebounding Percentage (27.3%)
• #13 in Offensive Rebounding Percentage (12.8%)
• #20 in True Shooting Percentage (63.6)

SO WHAT? GIVE ME A SCOUTING REPORT!

Daniel Theis has wiry strength and good agility. On a finesse team, Theis was the primary physical presence setting hard screens, while not being afraid to mix it up with bigger post players. It’s almost a guarantee that Theis will get in several scuffle’s next season.

OFFENSE:

Theis usually initiated offensive sets with a high on-ball screen and rolled hard to the rim where he was always a threat for lobs or finishes in the paint. Per Synergy, Theis shot 72% at the rim. Bamburg rarely utilized a true post player, so Theis would primarily crash the glass, but in limited situations he did show the ability to hit a right-hand hook. Shooting is not Theis’ strong point, although he has improved over the course of time. In his 2^nd season of play, he shot just 26.5% on 68 shots. He jumped up to 42.3% on 111 shots in 2016, before regressing downwards to 33.3% on 93 shots this year. So, in essence, Theis does possess the ability to face-up and shoot, but this is definitely not a strength and certainly not something that he will rely on early in his NBA career.

DEFENSE:

Defensively is where Theis earns his stripes. Quick off his feet, Theis is a timely shot blocker and strong defensive rebounder. He is very active in the post trying to push his opponent out of the paint and uses his body and length to disrupt the passing lane. Theis uses his agility in pick and roll scenarios as he is good at showing in these situations causing a point guard to pick up his dribble, but he sometimes also struggles moving laterally if that same guard looks to attack him.

HOW DOES HE FIT WITH BOSTON?

The Celtics are set at center with Al Horford for the next three seasons, but were somewhat a mess trying to find that last starter at the power forward position. Sure, the Celtics will play Jaylen Brown or Crowder when they go small, but the only other bigs are Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Zeller, who barely received any meaningful minutes in the playoffs. Theis, as a back-up will provide meaningful minutes in small doses with his motor, efficiency at the rim, and shot blocking prowess. The signing of Theis provides the Celtics with additional depth for their front-court and certainly could turn into a fan favorite down the road.