Daniel Theis emerged as one of the Boston Celtics biggest weapons late last season. After coming off knee surgery, here are three goals Theis must accomplish in order to get back on track.
At the beginning of last season, no one knew who Daniel Theis was, nor did anyone expect much out of him. Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge brought him over from Germany for a reason, and it showed late last season.
Theis didn’t have crazy numbers last year, he averaged five points and four rebounds per game. However, he brought energy and rebounding the C’s have been seeking for as long as fans can remember.
Theis was set to make a big impact in the playoffs with this young team, but unfortunately that was cut short by torn meniscus back in March of 2018
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Back in December of 2017, he grabbed 11 rebounds and poured in seven points as the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks. That was really when everyone started to take notice of Daniel Theis, and he seemed to use that performance as a building block. On December 23rd, 2017 against the Chicago Bulls, Theis had his best game yet where he grabbed 15 rebounds and had 10 points.
It’s going to be refreshing to have this guy back on the court again, especially since he can spread the floor and isn’t afraid of getting up for an alley-oop. This is Theis’ last year under contract with the C’s and he’ll be looking to make the most of it. He’s only 26, so he can only go up from this point.
Theis is a four-time German league All-Star and a three-time German league champion. He knows how to win and what it takes.
The NBA is different than Europe, but with almost a full season of experience under his belt Theis should be better this time around.
Here are three goals he can accomplish this coming 2018-2019 NBA season.
1. Be a better free throw shooter
You could write this goal down for a myriad of the Boston Celtics on this roster.
Theis shot 75 percent from the free throw line in 2017-2018. That percentage isn’t going to cut it in the NBA, especially when those are free points. Yes the C’s are more offensively equipped this year, but when a referee rewards you with foul shots you better knock those down.
I think he started to become a pretty reliable bench player last season. However, in order for Theis to really make that jump and go from ‘pretty reliable’ to very reliable, he needs to be more consistent at the line. Theis ranked 10th on the Boston Celtics in free throw percentage, in front of Marcus Smart, Guerschon Yabusele, Jaylen Brown and Semi Ojeleye.
I do think during his rehab Theis worked on his shooting overall, especially at the line. When you can’t go full throttle, free throws are usually something guys work on until they’re 100 percent. It would be nice knowing if he gets fouled in a game Theis can knock down two free throws with no problem.
If he can get up to 80 percent that would be a huge win for both the Boston Celtics and Daniel Theis. In an offense driven league, nothing makes coaches happier than when they don’t have to worry about one of their big men hitting big-time shots.
2. Play defense without fouling
Fouls were a big part of Theis’ game last season. Part of that was probably him adjusting to the NBA game overall. However, that needs to change this season.
Theis ranked second on the team at two and a half fouls per game, right behind Jaylen Brown. Fouls drive everyone nuts, but I have no doubt they drive Brad Stevens up a wall.
Theis has to play defense with his feet rather than with his arms. He did a great job at times last season of staying straight up when he was protecting the paint. The refs would blow their whistles even then, and it would make playing defense that much harder.
However, there were definitely times where his arms had come down or he was just using his hands too much on the defensive end.
Look, Theis is a really athletic guy. There’s no reason for him to be using his hands so much as a defender. He can stay with any guy, and if he falls back then he has the athletic ability to block a shot.
Just like anyone else, I’m a huge fan of the blocked shot. Daniel Theis was second on the team with almost one blocked shot per game, right behind Al Horford. Him being able to swat shots without fouling his man is going to be so important to this defense.
The less Theis fouls the longer he can be on the court and help contribute to this team. He’s more important to the second unit than we might remember.
3. Attack on the offensive end
He’s not known for his offense, but Daniel Theis actually has a pretty well-rounded game. He can stretch the floor and hit three-pointers, along with driving and dunking the ball. His three-point percentage wasn’t anything special last year at 31 percent, but he seemed to make the shots when they mattered.
Theis shot 54 percent from the field last season, which actually led all Celtics who played more than 15 games. I think his offense was actually the most surprising thing about Theis last season.
I feel as though the defense, although a surprise to how good it was, came as much less of a shock than his offensive skill set. Outside of catching lobs and taking care of putbacks, no one really thought he had any more to his game. Then the jump shots’ started and the three’s were falling.
I have to say watching Theis’ game grow last year was really fun, because the more comfortable he got in the NBA, the more we got to see his skills. I think that five points per game can be upped to the seven to ten range.
We have to be patient with his game because he’s coming off of a major injury, but I’d definitely expect higher offensive production out of this guy this season.
If by the end of the year Daniel Theis can be seen as a bigger offensive weapon along with his defensive arsenal, I think he could earn himself a much bigger contract in the NBA than the one he is currently on.