Daniel Theis makes case to start in win over Pistons
Daniel Theis made a great case to start in Boston’s win over the Detroit Pistons
After a rough stretch of basketball in February, Boston Celtics fans are now breathing a little easier thanks to… Daniel Theis?
The Celtics needed to come out strong in the first game after the All-Star break, and they did just that, thanks to the German big man’s contributions on both ends of the floor. Theis erupted for a career-high 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting, including 2-for-2 from deep in the 110-98 win. He also totaled seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Often pitted against the 6-foot-11, 280-pound Andre Drummond, the 6-foot-9, 243-pound Theis held his own against one of the better centers in the league. He did a good job keeping the ball out of Drummond’s hands, as the Pistons All-Star took only eight shots in the game.
Yes, Drummond still scored 15 points and collected 17 rebounds, but by taking away his shots, Theis and the Celtics forced other Pistons to shoot, and it worked out in Boston’s favor. Detroit shot 43.5 percent from the field on just 16 assists.
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This was a welcoming sight for Brad Stevens after DeAndre Jordan had his way with the Celtics in a 129-119 loss on Feb. 14. Jordan scored 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting, often killing the C’s on alley-oops off the pick-and-roll. He grabbed 13 boards as well, leading to one the Celtics’ worst defensive efforts all season. Friday’s game was a much better example of how to contain a truly dominant center.
Theis (along with Greg Monroe) should get credit for keeping Drummond relatively quiet, yet it was the rookie’s impact on the offensive end that pumped up the Celtics faithful.
Scoring has been a struggle for this team all season, but Friday’s game was an exception. Part of this is due to the return of playmaker Marcus Smart from a hand injury, but Theis deserves equal praise. He spaced the floor with two threes, and scored in the post with relative ease.
This was most evident in the second quarter, when Theis led the Celtics run that would ultimately be the deciding factor. The center scored 12 points, helping Boston drop 38 in the quarter. The Celtics hadn’t put up that many points in a quarter since Feb. 2 against the Hawks.
A look at his shot chart shows how efficient Theis was with his shot selection. All six of his 2-point field goals were right under the hoop, and he took no mid-range shots in the performance. Theis was nearly unstoppable in the low post, something we haven’t always seen with Aron Baynes and something we’re waiting to see from Monroe.
With the Celtics often struggling to come out of the gate hot in games, Brad Stevens may opt to start Theis over Aron Baynes. He said he plans on changing the rotations, and Theis could keep the Celtics offense afloat with his ability to space the floor.
Baynes got the start against Detroit, but was ruled out of Friday’s game after hurting his elbow early in the contest. If he was to miss any time, that makes the German rookie the fan favorite to be on the court at tip-off.
Next: What Can we Expect from Monroe?
There’s an online petition floating around to start Daniel Theis after Friday’s victory. Hopefully Stevens sees it before Saturday’s game against the Knicks.