Baynes and Theis make Lowe's 'Luke Walton All Stars'

[Big333223]

Baynes was a "starter" on the Luke Walton all stars, Theis was a "reserve". Not bad.

Aron Baynes, Boston Celtics

At a recent practice, Brad Stevens walked by Baynes shooting jumpers and casually remarked that he might bring Baynes off the bench in the next game. Baynes didn't break from the rhythm of the drill. "Whatever we need," Baynes said.

Everyone loves Baynes. He's selfless, reveling in the dirty work, a peppy, jokey presence. He tries to win Boston's warm-up exercises, and spews endless trash talk as players traverse the court with high-knees and long strides -- not out of manic competitiveness, but just to keep people laughing amid the grind. "He raises the energy level of every room he is in," Stevens says.

Next time you catch Boston, watch Baynes' arms on defense. They are always outstretched. (He and Taj Gibson must lead the league in arm-extending.) That takes energy, and it matters.

Baynes shuffles his feet faster than you'd expect for a behemoth; Stevens occasionally lets him chase pick-and-rolls high on the floor. He's immovable in the post, and he never fouls there. Only seven guys have drawn more charges. Boston's top-ranked defense has been at its best with the Baynes-Al Horford big-man pairing.

"He is elite on defense," Stevens says.

Before the season, Boston was squeamish about starting the Baynes-Horford duo, figuring it would cramp their spacing. Baynes made it work. He levels dudes on picks, and he's a slick passer out of handoff sets.

The structure of Stevens' offense has forced Baynes into a career-high number of long 2-pointers, and he has made almost half of them. If he keeps that up, he might be able to stay on the floor against the best postseason defenses -- when it becomes harder to play traditional centers.

Daniel Theis, Boston Celtics

Theis turned down richer offers in Europe to chase his NBA dream, and arrived as an unknown: a 25-year-old big from the German league who could do a bunch of things kinda well. Would any of those skills hold up here?

Only one really did, but the combination of being average-ish at a bunch of things turned Theis into a playable big who fit a bunch of different lineups before suffering a season-ending knee injury last month.

Theis loves to slips screens -- darting toward the rim before really setting them -- and he cuts with enough force to suck alarmed defenders into the paint:

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Stevens even designed out-of-timeout plays for Theis to act as a diving decoy, and unlock open 3s for teammates:

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"He is our best rim-runner," Stevens says. "We really miss him."

Theis is a smart passer and tricky screener -- must-haves for any big in Stevens' offense. But he's not an explosive finisher, and he doesn't shoot well enough -- 31 percent from deep -- to warp defenses. Unless that number improves, Theis is a nice fourth or fifth big man.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23025857/zach-lowe-2018-luke-walton-all-stars-nba

[Boris Badenov]

Credit DA for finding these guys and BS for helping them thrive. Given the concerns we had at the center position to start the year, this was an “A” outcome IMO.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Two of my favorite players on this year's Celtics team. And as someone who loves traditional NBA centers, I especially partial to the big Aussie.

[PhoSita]

Credit DA for finding these guys and BS for helping them thrive. Given the concerns we had at the center position to start the year, this was an “A” outcome IMO.

Agreed.

Both Baynes and Theis were guys I was blasé about to start the year, but they quickly became among my favorites on the team.

Would be great to see them back again next year, but wouldn't be surprised if either or both ended up traded (or Baynes signing elsewhere for more $$).