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The Silent Hero/A Tribute To Daniel Theis

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Re: The Silent Hero/Attribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#41 » by Fencer reregistered » Tue Feb 11, 2020 8:50 pm

https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/02/10/celtics-daniel-theis-not-just-a-small-ball-center/

I found it really interesting that Theis is described as a bit of a mistake-eraser, but not just in the classic Bill Russell style of blocking the shot of a guy who got free after his man gambled for a steal.

Two thoughts in connection with that:

1. Tatum is gambling for a lot of passing lane steals or deflections these days, and of course he doesn't always get them.

2. Brad's been praised for years for the scramble phase of the defense in which it resets after allowing mismatches due to switching.

So basically, Brad wants a lot of defensive choices by the players to wind up being good ones, and a huge fraction of the rest to wind up being at least OK.

And by the way, I imagine Theis could be a fine 3&D stretch 4 in this league, with added value in that he's available to be a good 5 as needed. He'd just need to take a summer during which he knew he'd be more of a 4 the following season, and work really hard on his 3-pt shooting. That's unlikely to be the summer of 2020 (Olympics) -- but after that, sure.

And THAT said -- if Enes doesn't stay and Tacko doesn't immediately blow up, Theis and Rob Will don't need more than 48 minutes combined anyway. Rob has his injury issues and isn't terribly big, while Theis is neither terribly big nor super springy, and hence is exerting himself a LOT to bang and jump as needed.


“I mean, he’s really good at it,” said Brad Stevens. “What he’s great at is covering for us all. He’ll guard those guys as hard as he can, but it’s still hard to keep Adams from getting a bucket every now and then or (Nerlens) Noel’s rolls or the big guys that he guards night in, night out.

“But what he does is he sniffs out issues with everyone else and covers for us,” said the Celtics coach. “He does so much that doesn’t go into the box score. Even on that last play, he had (Chris) Paul and guarded Paul on one of the last plays of the game. His length bothered the shot. He does a lot of good things.”

And when Theis switches onto someone (Tuesday) in Houston, it’s likely to be James Harden, or Russell Westbrook, or Eric Gordon — an elite perimeter cast if ever there was one.

“He covers up a lot for us,” said Stevens. “He did a really good job and he plays stronger than his weight would indicate.”
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Re: The Silent Hero/Attribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#42 » by cloverleaf » Tue Feb 11, 2020 9:28 pm

Fencer reregistered wrote:https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/02/10/celtics-daniel-theis-not-just-a-small-ball-center/

I found it really interesting that Theis is described as a bit of a mistake-eraser, but not just in the classic Bill Russell style of blocking the shot of a guy who got free after his man gambled for a steal.

Two thoughts in connection with that:

1. Tatum is gambling for a lot of passing lane steals or deflections these days, and of course he doesn't always get them.

2. Brad's been praised for years for the scramble phase of the defense in which it resets after allowing mismatches due to switching.

So basically, Brad wants a lot of defensive choices by the players to wind up being good ones, and a huge fraction of the rest to wind up being at least OK.

And by the way, I imagine Theis could be a fine 3&D stretch 4 in this league, with added value in that he's available to be a good 5 as needed. He'd just need to take a summer during which he knew he'd be more of a 4 the following season, and work really hard on his 3-pt shooting. That's unlikely to be the summer of 2020 (Olympics) -- but after that, sure.

And THAT said -- if Enes doesn't stay and Tacko doesn't immediately blow up, Theis and Rob Will don't need more than 48 minutes combined anyway. Rob has his injury issues and isn't terribly big, while Theis is neither terribly big nor super springy, and hence is exerting himself a LOT to bang and jump as needed.


“I mean, he’s really good at it,” said Brad Stevens. “What he’s great at is covering for us all. He’ll guard those guys as hard as he can, but it’s still hard to keep Adams from getting a bucket every now and then or (Nerlens) Noel’s rolls or the big guys that he guards night in, night out.

“But what he does is he sniffs out issues with everyone else and covers for us,” said the Celtics coach. “He does so much that doesn’t go into the box score. Even on that last play, he had (Chris) Paul and guarded Paul on one of the last plays of the game. His length bothered the shot. He does a lot of good things.”

And when Theis switches onto someone (Tuesday) in Houston, it’s likely to be James Harden, or Russell Westbrook, or Eric Gordon — an elite perimeter cast if ever there was one.

“He covers up a lot for us,” said Stevens. “He did a really good job and he plays stronger than his weight would indicate.”


Theis was at .388 from the 3 last year and has warmed up from the arc of late this season. And yeah, he could go back to the 4, pushing the C's down bigger through the lineup when that suits.
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Re: The Silent Hero/Attribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#43 » by Ed Pinkney » Tue Feb 11, 2020 10:59 pm

I've been pretty high on Theis from the get go, but how well he seems to have picked up the nuances of NBA team defence is what has impressed me the most. I commented/posted about this a couple of times, but I found the frequency that Theis was put into pretty underwhelming trade ideas throughout the season leading up to the trade deadline pretty odd. To me the eye test and the stats both tell you how good he has been playing and how important he is to the teams success, especially when you are getting that sort of contribution for such a small amount of money.
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Re: The Silent Hero/Attribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#44 » by RB34 » Tue Feb 11, 2020 11:46 pm

Big ups to my man vanilla Theis! Gets ZERO respect from the zebras and is undersized but he battles hard and does his job!
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Re: The Silent Hero/Attribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#45 » by Ascrilas » Tue Feb 11, 2020 11:55 pm

I've always been extremely high on Theis (see here) - also due to national bias - but even I did not foresee his development this year. What impressed me the most in the past weeks: He is starting to figure out how to play against big beefy centers, something he has struggled with in the past. He simply smothered Embiid and Adams in their recent encounters. Is this a flash in the pan? Possible, but if he can really bang with the big boys, this would be huge.

The Athletic had a piece on him recently. I am not a fan of posting articles from this platform for free on the internet because quality journalism deserves to be paid for, but I'll make a bit of an exception and post some blurbs here because it may be interesting for you guys:

“People always doubt our bigs whether it’s Enes (Kanter) or Theis or anyone,” Grant Williams said. “I just kind of give him credit because he’s a rim presence, he knocks down not only 3s but midrange, and then he does a good job of communicating. Theis is a good vocal leader out there. He doesn’t get the respect he deserves at his position.”


“I don’t show up on the stat sheets,” Theis said. “If I get my teammates open and we win the game, I’m happy.”

When Theis is happy, teammates get roasted. He regularly calls 30-year-old Brad Wanamaker old. He will tease Williams about his shooting, his excessive fouling or just about anything else.

“There’s a lot of stuff that Theis does,” Williams said. “Theis is a goofball. He’ll just say something random, you’ll be like, ‘Shut up, Theis, such a bully.’ He’ll tease Enes all the time. Oh, my goodness. He’ll just tease Enes consistently. The stuff he says to Enes …”


“He’s been great,” Stevens said. “Really reliable. He gives you a good scoring threat, at the rim, and seams on rolls, can pop and shoot it a little bit. Then, defensively, he’s great with his ball pressure. There’s always going to be some bigs in there that are tough because of the rebounding and post-ups, one of the things that keys our ball pressure is him. He’s out there picking up bigs that teams try to play through in the five-out look and he’s been putting guys on their heels and that’s been a big part of our team.”


During conversations throughout his restricted free agency this past summer, Theis said the Boston front office stressed an appreciation for everything he brought to the team over his first two NBA seasons. What went unsaid was that the Celtics would need Theis more than ever during his third campaign. After the team traded Baynes and lost Horford to free agency this summer, Theis knew he would be able to compete for a bigger role this season. That mattered to him. As much as he valued the apprenticeship under Horford and Baynes, it would be hard for Theis to come to some games not knowing whether he would play. He saw the opportunity for more minutes — and, like any player would, he wanted them.

“It was easy for me to come back,” Theis said.

The Celtics needed to change. After losing so much size, they emphasized the importance of their speed and activity from the first day of training camp. Since they aren’t built to find success lying back at the rim, their goal has been to cut off penetration before it begins. Theis said the coaching staff delivered a mandate during the preseason: “Big men need to pressure the ball every time. If you’re tired, the next guy gets in.”


It’s not easy to defend like the Celtics do. Theis says the style can be exhausting. The results suggest the effort has been worthwhile. Boston — widely expected to experience a substantial dip after losing Horford and Baynes — has actually improved from sixth to fourth in defensive rating. Despite lacking in size, the Celtics surrender fewer points in the paint than each team except the Bucks and Raptors.

Theis has the numbers of a more traditional big man. He ranks seventh leaguewide in block percentage and 17th in offensive rebound rate. The Celtics’ defensive rebound rate is the equivalent of seventh best with him on the court but dips a bit when Theis hits the bench — even though one of the league’s best rebounders serves as his backup. Boston forces turnovers at an elite rate with Theis on the court. His mobility gives them options like late switching and hard trapping.


Celtics players still swear they have enough in the frontcourt. Wanamaker, who also played with Theis in Germany, said he used to tell his teammate he would make the NBA one day. Even back then, Wanamaker could see all the traits that should translate against top competition: Theis’ ability to stretch the court or play in the seams, to defend on the perimeter or inside.

“A lot of people look at the numbers,” Wanamaker said. “But his impact goes way beyond the numbers.”


All credit to Jay King. Article is from Jan 31, 2020.
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Re: The Silent Hero/Attribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#46 » by Ed Pinkney » Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:26 am

Ascrilas wrote:I've always been extremely high on Theis (see here) - also due to national bias - but even I did not foresee his development this year. What impressed me the most in the past weeks: He is starting to figure out how to play against big beefy centers, something he has struggled with in the past. He simply smothered Embiid and Adams in their recent encounters. Is this a flash in the pan? Possible, but if he can really bang with the big boys, this would be huge.

The Athletic had a piece on him recently. I am not a fan of posting articles from this platform for free on the internet because quality journalism deserves to be paid for, but I'll make a bit of an exception and post some blurbs here because it may be interesting for you guys:



Thanks for posting this, it's good when comments from team mates and coaches back up what you feel you have been seeing when you watch the games. I like the comments on how hard it is to defend the way the Celtics do. His individual stats are never going to jump out, but the team stats are obviously great, I hadn't realised they had actually improved this season.

I love all the little things he does that wont show up on a boxscore too, tapping offensive rebounds out, vertically challenging shots but not blocking them, switching on the ball handler and forcing them to either pass or shoot a tough contested shot etc. Also, the Celtics run a play for Hayward, Brown and Tatum pretty frequently where he rolls to the rim after being involved in some screen action at the top of the key and then he just seals his man and opens a driving lane straight to the hoop for one of the wings.
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Re: The Silent Hero/Attribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#47 » by 5InOfLouisville » Wed Feb 12, 2020 12:28 am

Regarding theis’s recent improvement against bigger centers:

He’s been doing his work early. Hes battling for position all the way down the floor and not letting them catch the ball where they want to, and theyre getting frustrated.

Idk how sustainable it is, and ill still bet on embiid, but his recent work against joel and adams was impressive, especially considering his problems in the past against bigger, stronger centers.

Im not saying hes an allstar, but he really has been a revelation in how quietly effective of a presence he is on the court

As the article states, and we all see, he just makes the team better.
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Re: The Silent Hero/Attribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#48 » by zoyathedestroya » Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:59 pm

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Re: The Silent Hero/Attribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#49 » by 3D Chess » Fri Feb 21, 2020 2:24 pm

Can we fix the typo in the thread title please mods?
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Re: The Silent Hero/A tribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#50 » by djFan71 » Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:30 pm

3D Chess wrote:Can we fix the typo in the thread title please mods?

You don't think Theis has a silent hero attribute? Fine...
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Re: The Silent Hero/A tribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#51 » by Floody100 » Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:37 pm

Dudes the king of doing all the one percenters.
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Re: The Silent Hero/A tribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#52 » by 31to6 » Sat Feb 22, 2020 3:35 am

I don’t know what to make of the fact that Baynes was one of the highest ranked players in the league last year (especially defensively) and now Theis is.

But I have felt — before tonight I swear :) — that Theis is playing well enough to start on a championship team (in a classic “5th Beatle” sort of way). I’d be curious about an advance stat comparison with 2008 Perkins if anyone wants to take the time
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Re: Theis 

Post#53 » by tlee324 » Sat Feb 22, 2020 3:47 am

Wooooooopppppp!!!! lol
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Re: Theis 

Post#54 » by SMTBSI » Sat Feb 22, 2020 3:59 am

Red knows I've had my share of awful calls. So I've got to own the few hits as well.

Nailed his rookie season minutes when most were guessing he wouldn't play, and have been on the bandwagon ever since.

SMTBSI wrote:I absolutely expect Theis to be in the rotation. ... I've got him penciled in for a solid thousand minutes right now.

Actual rookie season minutes: 936


Also, even though he's only shooting .308 from three this year, reminder that he shot .376 from three across 5 years in euroleague, and .388 last year. He looks a little hesitant / hitchy right now for some reason, but I still think there's a chance he irons it out and becomes useful there again.
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Re: Theis 

Post#55 » by 31to6 » Sat Feb 22, 2020 4:01 am

Request formally submitted to change his name to DANIMAL Theis
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Re: Theis 

Post#56 » by Parliament10 » Sat Feb 22, 2020 4:05 am

31to6 wrote:Request formally submitted to change his name to DANIMAL Theis

D'Animal Theis.
I'm with that.
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Re: Theis 

Post#57 » by Jaqua92 » Sat Feb 22, 2020 4:17 am

31to6 wrote:Request formally submitted to change his name to DANIMAL Theis
LOL that may just stick


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Re: Theis 

Post#58 » by SMTBSI » Sat Feb 22, 2020 4:24 am

SMTBSI wrote:
Spoiler:
Red knows I've had my share of awful calls. So I've got to own the few hits as well.

Nailed his rookie season minutes when most were guessing he wouldn't play, and have been on the bandwagon ever since.

SMTBSI wrote:I absolutely expect Theis to be in the rotation. ... I've got him penciled in for a solid thousand minutes right now.

Actual rookie season minutes: 936


Also, even though he's only shooting .308 from three this year, reminder that he shot .376 from three across 5 years in euroleague, and .388 last year. He looks a little hesitant / hitchy right now for some reason, but I still think there's a chance he irons it out and becomes useful there again.

Actually, now that I look back at this post, I'm pretty proud of it.

So, if you want Al to spend some time at PF to avoid/exploit certain matchups, you need to get above 100% of needed "C" minutes, then move him down corresponding to that extra margin. You can do this by:
- Baynes and/or Horford logging more than their last-three-year averages.
- Third parties logging more than 10% of possible C minutes
- A combination of those two.

----------

In reality, if you want to get Al 25% of his minutes at PF, it probably needs to look something like this:

AH(.15)
AH(.45) / AB(.40) / DT(.15)


Actual 2017-18 PF/C rotation minute share:

AH(.25)
AH(.33) / AB(.37) / DT(.15) / GM(.13) / GY(.01)

Horford's undershooting of my prediction for Center minute share basically exactly matches Greg Monroe's minute share, who we didn't have at the time of my post, and maps to bolded bullet point.
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Re: The Silent Hero/A tribute To Daniel Theis 

Post#59 » by SMTBSI » Sat Feb 22, 2020 4:25 am

Whoa. I get merging threads, but somehow 90% of the longer thread got nuked.
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The Silent Hero/A Tribute To Daniel "D'Animal" Theis 

Post#60 » by Parliament10 » Sat Feb 22, 2020 4:28 am

SMTBSI wrote:Whoa. I get merging threads, but somehow 90% of the longer thread got nuked.

Just Merged the recent posts. Not the whole Topic.
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