June 29, 2018

Daniel Theis
PF/C - 6’9, 243lbs - 24 years old - 1 year of experience

Theis was a bit of a surprise pick-up last summer. He had been on the NBA’s radar for a while, just like all athletic EuroLeague/Eurocup/EuroBasket players are, and he got as far as making summer league with the Wizards back in 2014. But to get a guaranteed deal without a (public) bidding war fairly early in free agency, especially to a team that does not often go the European route, was a surprise.

It certainly though was not a bad move. Theis was very good this season and looked like a seasoned NBA veteran. He was up to speed with the pace of the game right from the off, yet grew throughout the year, particularly offensively, to become a highly valuable two-way piece of the rotation in the second-third of the season. But then a knee injury ruined it.

Theis is both an interior and exterior defender, just like any new-age big needs to be, who both contains in space and makes good plays on the ball. He crashes the glass, contests at the rim, and offensively got by with a simple formula of hard rolls and occasional spot-up shooting from outside (that was becoming less and less occasional as the season went along and he adjusted to the new three-point distance). He did not post or handle; he instead played within this simple formula, did what he was supposed to do, and did it consistently well.

Next year, once he’s healthy again and with resources increasingly stretched, give him Aron Baynes’s role. He won’t be identical, but he won’t need to be. And I’ll wager it won’t take long until he’s better.

Player Plan: One year of unguaranteed minimum salary contract remaining. Allow to guarantee and enjoy the bargain, then figure out the re-signing price for next summer.

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