Daniel Theis: Ready To Make The Leap

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2017/07/boston_celtics_daniel_theis_re.html

Boston Celtics' Daniel Theis 'ready to make the leap,' says Austin Ainge

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Posted on July 25, 2017 at 11:38 AM
Brose's Daniel Theis, left, tries to stop Olimpia's Jamel Mclean during the Euro League basketball match between Olimpia Milan and Brose Bomberg, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, March 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Brose's Daniel Theis, left, tries to stop Olimpia's Jamel Mclean during the Euro League basketball match between Olimpia Milan and Brose Bomberg, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, March 23, 2017. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)(Antonio Calanni)
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By Tom Westerholm
Daniel Theis is an object of considerable interest for Boston Celtics fans, most of whom haven't had a chance to watch the German big man during his time overseas.

Austin Ainge, Celtics' director of player personnel, told the Boston Sports Journal's Brian Robb over the weekend that he believes Theis is ready to break out in the NBA.

Here's Ainge:

Daniel has been a prospect for a number of years now. He's a guy that has just slowly gotten better. He kept working on his game, kept improving. Now at age 25, he's ready to make the leap. He's won three German championships in a row and plays a lot at the 4 and 5. He can shoot 3s, he's athletic and he's a national team player, so he's very experienced for a 25-year-old.

Ainge added that he didn't have a good player comparison for Theis, but noted that the 6-foot-9 big can play both the four and five while also switching some to contain pick-and-rolls.

Ainge's assessment seems fair based on the limited clips the internet can provide. In 30 Euroleague games last season, Theis went 16-for-39 behind the arc for an impressive 41 percent clip (albeit in a small sample size). His shot looks good -- he has compact form and great rotation, and his ability to play in the pick-and-roll should make him a potential stretch big as a pop threat as well.


Theis is also relatively athletic -- an alley-oop target out of the pick-and-roll, and a shot blocker from the weak side. He's not overly tall, but the eye test would indicate that his wingspan is long (there doesn't seem to be a documented wingspan available online). Theis isn't a DeAndre Jordan-esque deterrent at the rim by any means, but as a three-time Defensive Player of the Year in the German league, he'll collect his fair share of blocks.

One of the more impressive aspects to Theis' game is his timing on both ends. As a roll man, he sets excellent screens (that are often illegal, frankly -- we'll see if they start getting called in the NBA).

Here, he pauses for a split second to ensure that both the big and the guard are trying to defend the ball-handler before he rolls down the middle of an open lane to the hoop.



That little bit of patience buys him an easy basket. NBA defenses are far more advanced, but it's a positive sign that he can be a high pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop threat.

Defensively, Theis does a nice job making the most of his bounce, especially from the weak side. He can make life a little more difficult for driving ball-handlers, which -- paired with Al Horford's positioning -- could earn him a rotation spot.

There's no guarantee that Theis' skill set translates to NBA playing time, of course. The NBA is much more advanced than the Bundesliga, and Theis will be matched up with the toughest competition of his life by a pretty significant margin. But he has some intriguing tools, and as Ainge noted, he has real experience. At the price Boston paid to acquire him, Theis could be a productive contributor.Daniel

Training camp followed by preseason should be very revealing.  It will be interesting to see which fringe players become part of the rotation.  Also during the year different guys may move up or down depending on how they are playing including G league play and specific needs

Should be a real fun season.

Dboss

Not knowing anything about this guy, I would have to say that just about anything he can bring to the Cs 2018 roster would be gravy.

Not too sure that he will be able to play the five at only 6'9, but he may surprise us all.