Defeating Finland yesterday in the EuroBasket semifinals, Germany is on its way to meet Turkey in the championship match. Although not as big of a name as German stars Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder, former Celtics center Daniel Theis has played strong minutes for Germany, especially in the knockout round.
In yesterday’s game, Theis posted a double-double, scoring 10 points and leading all players with 11 rebounds. His plus-minus of 15 was the second highest among all German players, trailing only Schroder.
Theis performed well in the quarterfinals too, tallying 15 points, nine rebounds, one block and one steal. He proved to be the most valuable player when on the floor for Germany, finishing as their third-highest scorer and leading the team in plus-minus.
Throughout the tournament, Theis — the former EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year — has proven his value defensively as well, ranking seventh in blocks.
In an eight-year NBA career, Theis spent five seasons with the Boston Celtics but since has played for five teams in the last three seasons. In those five seasons for Boston, he started 112 games and averaged 7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks.
After being acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Theis was waived before debuting and signed with EuroLeague squad AS Monaco.
While Theis is under contract with Monaco through the 2026 season, his strong play in EuroBasket may earn him an NBA opportunity for the upcoming year. Regardless, at 33, Theis will have plenty of time to return to the league if he decides to do so later in his career.
