The Boston Celtics were well represented at this summer’s EuroBasket tournament. Current and former players filled the rosters of many European nations, most notably Neemias Queta, who suited up for Portugal.
Queta helped his home nation reach further than it had in over two decades before eventually falling to Germany, the eventual winners of the competition, in the round of 16.
There’s no shame in losing to the Germans. Literally everyone who played them did. Their roster was one of the deepest in the competition, featuring current and former NBAers, including their pair of former Celtics.
Tournament MVP Dennis Schroder and center Daniel Theis played a large part in their home nation’s championship run.
Of course, as the tournament MVP, Schroder shined. He averaged the 10th most points at 20.3 on 46.2/32.8 shooting splits, and the second most assists at 7.2 among all players in the competition, while pulling down impressive 3.4 rebounds per game. Plus, the now Sacramento Kings guard scored his team’s final six points to beat Turkey in Sunday’s thrilling Final.
Theis’s usage was far lower than Schroder’s, but he was still impressive. The 33-year-averaged 10.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and a block per game on 69.1/44.4 shooting splits.
Schroder and Theis were traded for one another back in 2022
Both Schroder and Theis played more prominent roles in Germany’s EuroBasket run than they did during their time in Boston, starting in each game.
Schroder was only a spot-starter in his 49 games for the Cs in the 2021-22 season. He averaged 14.4 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per appearance while shooting 44% from the field and 34.9% from beyond the arc.
After some fun early-season moments, like his huge scoring night to beat the reigning-champion Milwaukee Bucks, Schroder was traded to the Houston Rockets in a mid-season deal.
Ironically, the move brought his German teammate, Theis, back to Boston. Theis previously played three and a half seasons for the Cs, before he was dealt to the Chicago Bulls at the 2021 trade deadline.
The former Celtics big man made 257 total appearances for the green. He posted 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per outing, in just under 19 minutes each night. Theis got his buckets efficiently, too, sinking 55.8% of his attempts from the floor, and 34.6% of those from long range.
As of today, Sept. 15, Theis is under contract with AS Monaco, a French club in the LNB Pro A League and EuroLeague, through the end of the 2025-26 season.