If the Boston Celtics need to upgrade their frontcourt, it’s news to center Daniel Theis.
The German big man had the game-winning block in the final seconds of the 109-106 win over a pesky Atlanta Hawks outfit, and has quietly been an important part of the Celtics’ success in 2019-20.
Logging 7.2 points, 6.1 boards and 1.4 blocks per game in his third season with the team, the Saltzigger native’s low-usage, high-intensity game has been a near-perfect fit against Boston’s opponents save the NBA’s few mobile bigs.
With the league not exactly full of players like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Theis’ game is an excellent option for most matchups, and the Celtics 24-8 record is a testament to the wing-heavy philosophy used by head coach Brad Stevens against most opponents.
Friday night’s game-winning block against Trae Young might be the most palpable example of Theis’ value to the Celtics, but he’s been a constant, reliable anchor for the team in quieter ways.
DENIED. pic.twitter.com/AYVENmRdfu
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 4, 2020
Stevens had plenty of praise for the veteran move just the same, though.
“I thought the best play of the fourth quarter was clearly [Daniel] Theis’ block,” offered the former Butler coach (via the Boston Celtics).
“To have the wherewithal to take away the three-pointer when they had no time outs in a two-point game was outstanding … that’s a big-time basketball play … knowing that Trae is capable of getting to the rim on anybody, that’s a huge, huge play.”
The 27-year-old big man was ready for the tre — no pun intended — relating (via MassLive’s John Karalis) that he knew the team was up by two points in the crucial moment. “As soon as I switched on him, I knew he wanted to take the three to win the game, because he made a bunch in the game,” he added.
“He crossed over, he probably would have beat me for a layup,” Theis continued. “I was expecting him to go for the game-winner, to shoot the 3. So just be close. If he beats me to the rim, makes the layup, worst case we go to overtime.”
Boston avoided the extra period after a strange sequence where Marcus Smart tripped on Young and nearly got into a fight with center Alex Len as both teams collected themselves for the next play, but ultimately came away with the win in large part due to the German’s clutch defense.
“For him to be able to guard a guy like Trae Young in that situation, [with] no timeouts, they’re coming back at you … Theis [did] a good job of running him off the line,” Smart offered of his teammates performance.
Daniel Theis stays in front and comes up with the game-sealing block for the @celtics. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/NFm3U0rKVY
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2020
While the 6-foot-8 center might not have the heft to deal with some of the league’s most difficult frontcourt covers, it doesn’t take away from what Theis has brought to this year’s iteration of the Celtics much, if at all.
The German big man may not always punctuate his value with game-winning rejections on a nightly basis, but his hard-nosed defense and low-error play have made him the ideal complement to Boston’s Jay Team.
While it’s not out of the question the Celtics might still trade for a frontcourt upgrade of some sort, it would be a surprise if it included Theis given his proven value to Boston’s preferred style of play.
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