It’s not often you get to watch a superstar emerge from the chrysalis of their earñy-career self, but for all intents and purposes we seem to be doing just that with All-Star swingman Jayson Tatum.
And some of what makes the Missouri native so special has been helped by teammates; point guard Kemba Walker’s leadership; guard Marcus Smart’s tenacious defense; Jaylen Brown’s increasing gravity.
And Daniel Theis, in particular.
Theis has been instrumental in helping set up the plays finding Tatum open, or clearing the lane for his drives.
“His screening angles are great. His rolls are great. And he’s very unselfish,” head coach Brad Stevens said via MassLive’s John Karalis. “He does a lot of unselfish things.”
“It’s not always fun to be the one that runs up, screens, and runs back on defense … Or runs up, screens, rolls, doesn’t touch it and then runs back on defense. But that’s the way teams function. And we appreciate that stuff as much as everybody else appreciates all the stats.”
Tatum especially recognizes the role Theis has played in his newfound excellence, and plans to do something for the German big man out of appreciation for his quiet, unflagging support.
Jayson Tatum says he owes Daniel Theis for clearing driving lanes: ‘like a watch or something’ https://t.co/9D6mJyr2iY
— John Karalis 🇬🇷 (@RedsArmy_John) February 26, 2020
“I told Theis I’m going to get something for his birthday,” said the Duke product.
“Like a watch or something. Especially for me, he opens the game up so much with getting me easy buckets. That opens the game up for me and he does it for everybody. That’s a thing that doesn’t show up in the stat book.”
“Theis is that dude,” he added.
And indeed he is, delivering near-flawless execution night-to-night on a bargain-basement deal of just $5 million this season for this season and next.
While the attention is going to be focused increasingly on Tatum and his high-octane teammates, the Saltzigger native continues to be the glue that ties the team together.
And for a franchise thriving off of chemistry, the importance of that to everyone’s game on the Celtics cannot be overemphasized.
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