Our exit interview series moves ahead with a look at veteran backup big man Daniel Theis, who is a free agent.

Basic Information

Height: 6’8

Weight: 245 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 32

Years in NBA: 7

Key Stats: 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.1 minutes per game across 59 games (3 starts) on 53.6/37.1/76 shooting splits

Expectations

When Theis joined the Clippers last season, he was only supposed to be a stop-gap until Mason Plumlee returned from injury. All he was expected to do was fill in for Plumlee as the backup center and give Ivica Zubac a breather every now and then.

It was very fortunate that the Clippers were able to pick someone up like Theis who had fallen out of the rotation with the Indiana Pacers, as the free agent options at that point were incredibly slim.

Reality

Theis played very well upon signing with the Clippers. He was a big part of the lineup in early December when the Clippers started turning things around following the adjustment period from the James Harden trade.

Theis brought a different skill-set than Plumlee at the backup center position. He was a better man-to-man defender in the paint and was able to space the floor a bit with his three-point shooting.

He played well enough that he made a strong enough case to remain in the rotation even after Plumlee returned to the lineup. And for the most part that was what happened. The Clippers opted to go with one or the other depending on the matchups.

But come playoff time, Tyronn Lue opted to go with Plumlee as the sole backup against the Dallas Mavericks with Theis only seeing minutes in Game 5 in garbage time. With Plumlee’s overall ineffectiveness against the Mavericks, perhaps giving Theis a shot would have been a good adjustment.

Future with Clippers

Theis heads into the 2024 offseason as an unrestricted free agent. He’s sure to have interest from other teams around the league looking for a capable backup center.

The Clippers need to decide what it is they want out of their reserve center. It doesn’t seem likely that both Theis and Plumlee, who is also an unrestricted free agent, are back next season.

Theis’ future with the Clippers is a little murky and less certain. It wouldn’t be surprising either way if the Clippers decide to bring him back or if they allow him to walk.

2024 Clippers Exit Interview: Daniel Theis
David Yapkowitz

It was reported today by just about every national and Clippers beat reporter that the Clippers will sign Daniel Theis when he clears waivers after being bought out by the Pacers earlier today.

Theis is a 31 year old veteran big man who has played six seasons in the NBA, primarily for the Celtics. He’s started nearly half of the 314 games he’s appeared in, so has been a fringe starter/key backup role for most of his career. His most prominent major role was in the 2020 (Bubble) season, when he started 17 games for the Celtics’ team that made the Eastern Conference Finals.

Despite being just 6’8, Theis has played center nearly all of his NBA minutes, and at a hefty 245 pounds, is absolutely a center at this stage of his career. He hasn’t played much the past couple NBA seasons due to injury, but was an awesome player for Team Germany in their FIBA World Cup run this past summer.

Across his NBA career, Theis has averaged 7.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 19.4 minutes – which translates to incredible production across per 36. If there’s one thing Theis struggles with, it’s fouling, as he averages 2.6 fouls in those minutes – but then again, Isaiah Hartenstein is probably the best backup center in the NBA and he is also very foul-prone. Search “War on Theis” for funny Celtics fans comments about how much refs hate Theis by the way.

Honestly, I quite like this signing. Theis is not a great rim protector. And, while he can shoot from three, he’s only a 32.5% shooter on 1.6 attempts per game across his career – below average shooting on low volume. However, despite being undersized, he’s an excellent defender who can stonewall bigger players in the post, force turnovers, and get out onto the perimeter in help situations. On offense, while not a dynamo, he has a nice midrange jumper and is a good passer for a big man who should be a nice fit in short roll situations or dribble hand-offs.

Considering the Clippers are giving up nothing to get him, Theis is a great get. Theis should be a solid backup big man who can give the Clippers some stable size off the bench until Mason Plumlee gets back, at the very least.

In other news, the Clippers are moving forward with the conversion of Josh Primo to a full deal and Xavier Moon to a two-way, which means once Theis is officially signed, the Clippers’ roster will be completely full. This is even more baffling to me than it was when originally announced 10 days ago. Moon is a fun player and a great vibes guy but has zero role on this team – Bones Hyland is out of the rotation right now for god’s sake – and no upside. Primo has upside, but is going to spend the whole year in the G-League anyway. This smacks of the Clippers having made promises to these guys/agents earlier and fulfilling them, because they need another veteran forward much more than Xavier Moon or Primo on a full deal.

Overall, even with the irritation on the Moon and Primo deals, the Theis signing is a big win in my books. Hopefully he’s able to play for the Clippers by early next week, and can help bring balance to their second unit.

Clippers to Sign Daniel Theis to Last Roster Spot
Robert Flom