Theis compares himself to Smart

[KG Living Legend]

 Also KG was his favorite player. Celtics have been tracking him for 6 years.

 This past season the forward made a career-high 41 percent of his 3-pointers in Euroleague play, and he was also named the Bundesliga’s defensive player of the year.

“It worked out really well,” Theis said. “I think one of my biggest strengths is my versatility.”

In Europe, Theis was capable of defending centers and point guards. His range will probably be a bit more condensed in the NBA, where players are faster, stronger, and more athletic.

But the Celtics still believe he will be able to guard multiple positions.

“With players like Isaiah Thomas, Gordon Hayward, Al Horford, they need to score,” Theis said. “So you need other players to play defense and do, not the dirty stuff, but maybe the stuff that’s not on the stat sheet every time: setting screens, rolling, and just things like what Marcus Smart did a lot.”

“He didn’t average a lot of points, but maybe he took every game at least one charge. I think that’s also for me very important. Just get on the court, play with energy, and get defensive rebounds.”

Theis said he models his game a bit after another skilled big man, but it is not the one that most expect.

“People think I will say Dirk Nowitzki, because he is German,” Theis said, “but it was always Kevin Garnett. He doesn’t look strong, but he’s so strong, especially his mind, like his mental setup.”

[RockinRyA]

lol Theis, shouldntve done that. You will now see a lot of Theis hate thread from celtics2030

[TheSundanceKid]

I wouldn't say he compared himself, just that he needs to be like Smart to get on the court. Isn't that what we would want to hear?

[footey]

Great quotes. Like this guy already.

[2short]

Nice things to hear especially when you think of what comes out of some players mouths

[Celtics4ever]

The tapes I have seen of this guy tells me he has a good motor and is relentless.   Not sure his talent will translate but it won't be from lack of effort  if he fails.

[jambr380]

As always, we will see how it translates to the court, but good to see that he understands he is role. I see his best case scenario as a Jonas Jerebko for this team, but would absolutely love to see him finding as many minutes as Smart (meaning he is MUCH better than anyone thought he was).

His comments about IT, Hayward, and Horford probably came off wrong - sounding like they need to score to be effective - but I think he meant those are the guys the team will count on to score while other people need to work around them in order for the team to be effective.

[No Nickname]

The Shane Larkin vs Theis preseason showdown will be epic.  Not sure which one will make the team but it'll be fun.

[gouki88]

I like what I see in these quotes. Hope he can make the team ahead of Larkin.

[jpotter33]

I like him already! 

[mmmmm]

I like that he shows great awareness of the Celtics as a team now and their history.

I watched a lot of vid on Theis starting from when they first announced the agreement to sign weeks (months?) ago.   It remains to be seen if it will translate, but his game is really, really easy to like.   Very, very tough & relentless.   He's somewhat minimalist on offense - just set picks, roll or pop.  Do the occasional back-door cut to put back misses.  And hit the open 3 on kick-outs.    Not too different than what we got from Amir last year.

But defensively, he seems to come alive on the other end.  Very active.  Moves very well.  Does not give up on plays.  Takes on anyone, big or small.   His huge hands seem to always be in the way of shots and passes   (Perhaps a bit "too" handsy at times -- foul calls might be an issue.).

I think he's going to be popular with fans if he gets minutes.