Daniel Theis has finally made it to the NBA, as evidence of this has been cited by Shaquille O’Neal again and again in the past few days. NBA legend O’Neal has been a commentator for the station for years TNT in action.
After a strong action in the fifth playoff game against Toronto, when Theis first grabbed the rebound on his own board and then hit the ball at the other end with a monsterDunk in the basket of Raptors sunk, there was a special praise: “I don’t know what the guy’s name is. But he reminds me of the Birdman“said O’Neal, comparing Theis to former NBA pro Chris Anderson, nickname”Birdman“, which was especially valued for its bouncer qualities under the basket.
Established as a starter at Boston
It can be assumed that Shaq, one of the best players in history in Theis’ position, only played the surprised for the cameras and had certainly noticed the Brunswick’s qualities beforehand. The German international has established himself in the starting line-up for the record champions in his third season.
The center position at the Celtics after the departure of Al Horford was seen as a major weak point – but Theis managed to fill the gap and pushed even experienced players like Enes Kanter to the bench. It certainly also helped that he experienced a season without a long-term injury for the first time since his arrival in the NBA. With 9.5 points per game, he has almost doubled his average. In addition, there are more than six rebounds per game, he is also the best Shotblocker at the Celtics.
But that Theis has been able to play this role in the playoffs so far, in that phase of the season that really counts, that was not necessarily to be expected. Before the start of the playoffs, many experts doubted whether Theis, with a height of 2.03 meters, is not necessarily the most terrifying of the ring protectors in the NBA, even in a duel with the best “Big Men“in the east: Joel Embiid and Al Horford from Philadelphia, or Toronto’s Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. But they have all already left the Bubble, also failed due to the strong teamDefense the Celtics, in which the man from Braunschweig plays a major role.
Anker in der Celtics-Defense
The analysts at ESPN lead Theis even as the second best defender in the league, in their sophisticated “Defensive-Real-Plus-Minus“Statistics that takes into account, among other things, how many points are scored in isolation in the minutes in which a certain player is on the floor. Extrapolated to 100 possession of the ball by the opponent, the Celtics have so far in the playoffs with Theis on the field less than 100 Points admitted – a top value. In the series against Masters Toronto, this value even fell below 95 – and deteriorated to 105 as soon as Theis was on the bench.
His value for the team is not only measured in the throws blocked, Steals or rebounds. But mainly because of what Theis does in the game away from the ball: He is very agile for a big player, so he can defend in several positions, even against faster players, or quickly after a blockswitch“and change the opponent. Also on the offensive, in the Pick’n’RollGame, Theis shows how much he has internalized his role as a role player: He blocks the way for them Scorer the Celtics, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum or director Kemba Walker. Or use the space to lock yourself.
Theis: “We want the title”
His coach Brad Stevens has recently highlighted the progress Theis has made in understanding the game. He rarely makes wrong decisions on the field, also praised his teammate Jaylen Brown in US magazine “Forbes“: “He is very focused and always knows what to do in each situation, he can read the game very well.”
Theis is also pleased with this recognition, the first two years were not easy, he revealed in an interview with dpa: “I have played once and not played “. In the meantime he is almost indispensable for the Celtics, especially since he is an absolute bargain with his 10 million dollar contract for the current and the coming season for NBA standards and does not jeopardize the upper salary limit at the Celtics. “I am extremely happy and glad that the Coaching-Staff but also everyone with whom I stand in the field appreciate my work. It’s like a dream and shows that the hard work has paid off.“
First German in the NBA final since Nowitzki?
From Wednesday (September 16, 2020) theis and the Celtics will now have the Conference-Finals against Miami. The last German player so far who came so close to a place in an NBA final was Dirk Nowitzki. Some experts believe that the Celtics will deliver a surprise similar to that of Nowitzki’s Mavericks in 2011, which ultimately won the title thanks to a compact team performance.
Theis does not see the record champions’ mission in the bubble as complete either: “We came here and said: We want to win the championship. We want to win everything. That is still our goal.”
Stand: 15.09.2020, 13:42
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