Amid a crowded frontcourt, Daniel Theis continues to prove his worth

When the Celtics added Greg Monroe to their frontcourt a couple weeks back, the playing time situation for the bigs on the roster got a little bit murky. Brad Stevens likes to play small ball a lot and this team already had two full-time limited, but above-average centers in Aron Baynes and Daniel Theis. With Al Horford also seeing significant minutes at center on a nightly basis, odds were someone was going to get squeezed out of the rotation, depending on the night.

“Greg brings some experience, low-post play and he's a terrific passer from the perimeter,” Danny Ainge explained after the free agent signing. “Brad likes to run his offense through bigs out on the perimeter a lot, so that could be helpful and he's been a good rebounder. We think that his experience can provide something for us, but we also have Baynes, who has been the starting center on the top defensive team and Daniel Theis has played fantastic. It's going to be a tough juggle for Brad.”

For a couple of games before the All-Star break, Theis ended up on the short end of the stick as far as the playing time juggle went. He played just 11 minutes against the Cavs and Clippers, and it’s no coincidence that the Celtics had two of their worst defensive performances of the year with his limited playing time.

That changed on Friday night against the Pistons. The 25-year-old got his chance for extended time when Baynes was sidelined with a sprained elbow and Monroe looked flat footed on defense yet again for much of the first quarter. With the Celtics trailing by six late in the opening frame, Theis got the call and helped the visitors turn the game around on both ends. The performance (career-high 19 points on 8-of-10 FG) was proof that he should not be the one squeezed out of the rotation when everyone gets healthy.

OFFENSE

The German rookie has a limited skillset, but it’s a valuable one for a mobile big. He sets strong picks, he runs the floor well, he hits the offensive glass hard and he can hit an open 3. The 6-foot-9 center showed a little bit of everything against the Pistons on Friday night.

While a roll to the hoop may seem like one of the simplest plays in basketball, it’s easier said than done for a lot of bigs. Slow footed ones like Baynes or Monroe struggle to beat the defense to the open spot or fail to get up a shot fast enough before help defense arrives. Baynes, in particular, has simply struggled with his touch around the rim all year long.

That’s not the case for Theis. He’s hitting 71 percent of his attempts inside of three feet (second on the team behind Horford) and he utilized his speed and quick release on several plays Friday night.





When there are other weapons on the floor that attract attention from the defense, Theis is an afterthought and will get these opportunities from opponents. He took advantage of them.

Theis also has great length for his size at 6-foot-9 and he uses his positioning well to create easy second chances for himself (10.8 percent offensive rebounding rate, which is highest among rotation players besides Monroe). Look how he seals his defender on both of these chances.





The 3-point shot (32.7 percent) remains a work in progress but he’s still taking it with confidence above the break. If it continues to improve, he’ll be useful in drawing true bigs out of the paint, which will open up the offense more for his teammates on drives.

DEFENSE

While most of the fanfare from Friday night will be about a career-high scoring night for Theis, his value was arguably better on the defensive end. He spent time guarding Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond over his 21 minutes and neither got into an effective rhythm against him, thanks to his speed and strength.



While Baynes is an elite defender with his contests of drives at the rim, Theis has the advantage with his foot speed, which is crucial to covering up mistakes. Monroe provides more within his offensive skillset, yet he can’t cover ground like Theis does here.



That type of effort makes him a player that Stevens can rely on nightly to give him something no matter the situation he's thrown into. Even when he’s not getting chances on the offensive end, Theis has a high motor and won’t be abused by opponents on the defensive end like Monroe has in spots. He can handle switches against guards fairly well, he holds his ground against stronger players and he’s a great rebounder to boot. You could make a pretty strong case for him to be the starting center for this team by the start of next year. It's hard to envision that happening this year just yet since playing Baynes and Monroe together off the bench just isn't feasible on most nights.

While Stevens may be tempted to go in other directions at the center spot for specific matchups, Theis gives the head coach the most consistent two-way player out of any true big on the roster not named Al Horford. Friday’s performance served as a reminder that the Celtics are at their best when Theis isn’t an afterthought in the rotation.