How Indiana Pacers Veteran Center Daniel Theis Can Impact His New Team

The story of the Indiana Pacers 2022 offseason is about their addition of youth and draft picks. The Pacers’ roster is now comprised of just three players who are older than 26 — Indiana has begun a rebuild.

The blue and gold added many assets this offseason that fit a building vision. They drafted three players to add to their youth pipeline, they acquired a first round draft pick and a former 2020 lottery pick (Aaron Nesmith) in a trade with Boston, and their biggest free agency signing was 22-year old Jalen Smith. The Pacers best days are ahead of them.

Indiana did end up acquiring one veteran player this offseason though, and the addition has flown under the radar in large part due to the context of the Pacers offseason. In a trade with the Celtics, the Pacers were sent big man Daniel Theis, a 30-year old who has been in the league for five seasons.

Had Theis been born 11 days earlier, he would be the oldest player on Indiana’s roster. As it stands, he is the team’s third-highest paid player. He just contributed in the NBA Finals for the Eastern Conference champions 68 days ago. While Theis may be outside of the Pacers preferred age range, he still may have value to the team as a veteran with noteworthy experiences.

“I feel like the city of Indy is definitely his kind of vibe,” Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith said of Theis. Nesmith and Theis were teammates in Boston prior to this season and were traded to Indiana together.

“He’s a good teammate. Great guy, great person off the floor [and] on the floor,” Nesmith added. The pair played together for nearly 200 minutes across two seasons with the Celtics.

Theis brings his teammate skills to Indiana with him, which will be beneficial for a younger Pacer group. The German big man hasn’t been in the league long, but he’s appeared in 40 career playoff games while also playing for a rebuilding Houston Rockets team for part of this past season. His experience, both as a veteran on a rebuilding team and a key piece on contenders, will prove valuable to Indiana.

The Salzgitter native will provide utility on the hardwood as well. While it isn’t exactly clear what Theis’ role will be or if he will even be in Indiana’s rotation, he will benefit the blue and gold during his playing time due to a variety of skills.

One of Theis’ best abilities is his screen setting. Celtics wing Jayson Tatum once noted how many shots he’s able to knock down because of Theis’ screens, and the Pacers big man ranked in the top-10 in screen assists per-36 minutes during his last full season where he stayed with one franchise. He will open up the floor for Indiana guards with strong picks.

When Theis rolls to the basket after a screen, he can be lethal. He ranked in the 92.2 percentile when rolling to the basket last season with Boston, and his team averaged 1.42 points per possession in those instances. His ability to finish around the basket and take care of the ball in those situations shines, and the Pacers will be better for it — they execute actions involving a roll man frequently.

Theis excels as a finisher around the basket. He knocked down 74.5% of his looks from three feet and in this past season and has hovered around that accuracy level for his entire career. His volume of attempts is fairly low, but Theis makes good decisions when deciding if he has an open look or not. His true shooting percentage has been above 60% in all but one season of his career.

With his past teams, the big man has occasionally shared the frontcourt with another more interior focused player. That has led to Theis becoming a better cutter — he has been forced to find nooks and crannies where he can be effective when he is stretched out to the perimeter.

When the five-year pro is lurking on the baseline, he often slashes in for easy looks once the defense rotates. His timing when he inserts himself in a play after starting on the weakside is impressive. Theis graded out well as a cutter this past season, reaching nearly 1.4 points per possession in those situations.

On defense, despite being shorter for a center, Theis is bulky yet nimble. He can battle with other post players and even gave the Pacers trouble in the 2019 playoffs when he was with the Celtics. Basketball Reference’s defensive box plus-minus has rated him as an above average defender in all but one season of his career.

Both the Celtics and the Rockets had a better defensive rating with Theis on the floor than off this past season. His combination of height, strength, and mobility is rare, and his teams benefit from that defensively. Now, that impact will be in Indiana. Behind Myles Turner, his on/off stats won’t shine as brightly, but he can still be a positive impact defender for the blue and gold.

Speaking of Turner, Indiana does have a relatively crowded frontcourt. Turner projects to start at the center spot for the Pacers, and the team has publicly stated that Jalen Smith will open games in the power forward spot. Oshae Brissett, Isaiah Jackson, Terry Taylor, and Goga Bitadze will all be in the mix for minutes in the frontcourt as well. Theis may not actually play in high-leverage situations much.

However, because the veteran big can play the four or the five — in large part thanks to his decent outside shooting for a big man (32.9% for his career) and his well-timed cuts — he still may get some minutes on this Pacers team. While Indiana should prioritize younger players as they build a rotation, Theis is a fine option in certain situations, and his strong screen setting will be helpful in the development of young Pacers guards.

Still, barring injury, Daniel Theis projects to be a depth piece for the Indiana Pacers this season. But he has a handful of high-level skills that have made him a coveted piece for several teams in recent seasons, and Indiana will benefit from those talents throughout the 2022-23 campaign. While Theis may not be in the Pacers long-term plans thanks to his age and position, he can still be a positive influence on the franchise as the team transitions from one era to the next.