Boston Celtics: 2 surprise players that could see more action in Game 5

Boston Celtics player No. 1) Daniel Theis

Similar to how Golden State opted to sit the scoring-inept Draymond Green for the floor spacing Nemanja Bjelica during crunch time in Game 4 to help shift momentum in their favor, perhaps the Boston Celtics could opt to do something similar to this by getting Daniel Theis more playing time.

Look, we get that he hasn’t really proven to be all that effective throughout this year’s postseason, putting up averages of just 4.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and just shy of a block per game, but measuring in at 6-8 he stands as one of the tallest players on the C’s roster while his 36 percent 3-point shooting clip with them this season makes him one of the more reliable shooters the rotation has the offer.

Both of these attributes could be quite beneficial when going up against the Warriors.

Unlike the 6-6 Grant Williams, Theis has the height advantage over virtually every player found within Golden State’s rotation, thus making him a sound defensive matchup both in size and when it comes to his established reputation as being a solid rim protector (averages 2.1 blocks per 100 possessions for his career).

Now yes, Theis’ shot hasn’t been falling all that consistently during this year’s playoff run (converting on just 21 percent from downtown), but the capability for him to tap back into his regular-season form is still there and, regardless, his presence on offense will draw coverage towards him out near the perimeter, thus opening up the lane for less-clogged drives at the rim (something that doesn’t generally come when someone like, say, Time Lord is on the court).

Seeing two consecutive DNP’s and averaging just 10 minutes in the games that he has actually played, Monday night, should the Celtics be in need of some sort of change, don’t be surprised if we see Daniel Theis get a boost in time on the floor.