The Boston Celtics made several signings this summer to bolster their big-man depth, but without a true standout, could Daniel Theis find himself starting at some point this season?
It’s going to be a very long time before we stop talking about Al Horford’s departure from the Boston Celtics here at the Houdini. The reason why is simple: he was the team’s anchor on defense and there was no concerted effort to find a replacement anywhere near his two-way skill level.
Now to be fair, it’s almost impossible to pinpoint a player that’s at the same point in his career as Horford’s that can defend, pass and shoot more efficiently than he did this past season. That being said, they didn’t exactly focus their resources into the center position the same way they did the point guard position.
Whether you love him or hate him, Kyrie Irving was the guy for the Boston Celtics last season. Danny Ainge did well enough to sign the second best point guard on the free agent market when he got Kemba Walker to sign on the dotted line to leave Charlotte. That being said, it was an all-in gamble.
In maxing out Walker, Ainge didn’t focus many resources on the center position. That was a puzzling move considering he traded away his only other legitimate center in Aron Baynes.
With the few salary cap exceptions Ainge had left, he was able to bring in two centers via the free agency market. One of them was Vincent Poirier out of Baskonia of the EuroLeague. While he is a big body, Poirier is raw and will likely be serving in a reserve role.
The other was Enes Kanter. Kanter is a double-double machine, but he may not be the best option to start given his defensive woes. With that said, all signs point to Kanter becoming the team’s starting center. Ainge’s comments during his introductory press conference indicate Kanter was a priority in free agency.
It’s unusual to bench a priority. Brad Stevens may be dealing with a higher power that will force his hand in starting the Turkish big. If the team starts losing games because of his inability to cover his man, his role can be filled by an in-house replacement.
Of Daniel Theis and Robert Williams, Theis is a better option to plug in and play. Williams spent most of his rookie season playing for the Maine Red Claws. His eight minutes per game were mostly in garbage time and he didn’t have eye popping per-36 minutes stats either.
Theis, on the other hand, was handed a two-year extension this offseason after proving to be an asset in Stevens’ rotation last season. Theis only played 14 minutes per game but his per-36 stats show that the minutes he provided last year can lead to more production if they were to be increased. Theis’ numbers show 15 points per game, nine rebound, three assists when extrapolated over a full starter’s load.
Most impressively, Theis shot 38% on 3-pointers. While he only took one per game, the ability to stretch the floor is evident. That is a trait that Enes Kanter simply doesn’t have.
The main knock on Theis is that he is undersized. At six-foot-eight, it is hard to imagine him keeping up with Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic. On the flip side though, his ability to space the floor will cause behemoths like Embiid and Rudy Gobert to leave the paint to defend him.
If that happens, it’d be easier for Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward to blitz teams by getting out and attacking the rim. Theis is smaller than Kanter, but his defensive plus/minus of 2.5 the past two seasons is an upgrade over Kanter’s -1.6 for his career.
Theis was given a very similarly-sized contract to Kanter. If the Kanter experiment falls on its face, it isn’t inconceivable to think Theis can’t be the beneficiary at some point this season.
For now, expect Kanter to start. If the Boston Celtics expect a slow start, expect Theis to be the next man up at the center position.