Daniel Theis’ active debut foreshadows potential impact on bulls

It didn’t take long from Daniel Theis’ Bulls debut to understand why he was a fan favorite during his three-and-a-half seasons with the Boston Celtics.

The first flash came in the first quarter, roughly 60 game seconds after Theis first showed up in Monday’s game against the Golden State Warriors. Initially keeping Draymond Green on top of the wrench, Theis flew from the 3-point arc to the painted area in a split second to smear Kevon Looney’s attempt at recoil against the back panel:

“My mindset is just to be a defensive anchor,” Theis said. “My teammate is beaten, I’m just trying to be there.”

Hyperactivity is at the heart of Theis’ game. In the remainder of his nine-minute opening stint, he buried a transitioning float, landed another block and stole, and slammed a thundering lane to enter at halftime with 6 points, 2 blocks and a robbery.

That push, which also featured solid screen tuning, was so compelling that Billy Donovan rolled out Theis as the first big on the bench. – in front of Lauri Markkanen – in the second half as the Bulls coach looked for successful frontcourt pairs between these two, Nikola Vučević and Thad Young. Theis played 17 minutes alongside Markkanen and six minutes with Vučević against the Warriors.

“I think the coach (Donovan) is going to try some things, ”Theis said. “Let’s say me and Vooch are over there. I have to be the roller so he can space the floor. I’m there with Lauri, I’m rollerblading so he can shoot too. I think it’s all about knowing and it will also take time to adjust to the team. “

Donovan said after the match that he was intrigued by the complement that Theis’ physical and inner presence brought to both ends. Vučević or Markkanen, and added after Tuesday’s practice that he plans to switch Theis to the perimeter defensively once the new Bulls are comfortable enough in their basic sets to expand the playbook.

“The only thing I have to help him get there, and even prepare for Boston over the years, the only thing I’ve always felt pretty good about him is that he has really good feet.” on the perimeter and it can change a lot of things. Donovan said. “There is an air to him and there is a feeling about him when he’s on the pitch. As you feel. You can feel it in the game. This part is encouraging.

In the latter department, Theis found that the Bulls lacked first impressions. Look no further than Steph Curry’s reel for proof. He scored 30 points in 30 minutes and shot 6 for 12 from a distance of 3 points on his return from a tailbone contusion that kept him from playing five games, often operating with oceans of space. The Bulls are the NBA 27th-ranked team defending pick-and-roll ball handlers For a reason.

“One thing for us as a team, we have to be more physical, we have to be more on the ball, ”said Theis. “As you saw yesterday, if you let Steph get comfortable and not be in him the whole game, he’ll give you over 30 points easily. So obviously it’s (playing hard defense) a state of mind. If you want to be in people’s bodies and be physical and just a little boring too. If you love them from the first second, you know it won’t be an easy game for them.

Theis hopes to be able to lead by example and give direction in this department.

“Me, Thad (Young), Vooch, we’re pretty experienced, like we can guide these guys and just tell them we need to be more physical,” Theis said. “Like a [center] you see the whole yard basically all the time. You are there, you can talk to everyone, tell them where to go. It was also my state of mind with the Celtics, being just a defensive anchor, being vocal and talking to everyone.

Don’t sleep on the intricacies of his offensive play, either. Although his alley-oop finish was a bit of a surprise for Zach LaVine – “I didn’t know he could get up and have it like that,” LaVine said. – Theis believes his staging may free up avenues all over the field for the Bulls All-Star guard.

“He’s a great guy. Since trading he was the first to contact me shortly after this happened, ”Theis said of LaVine. “I’ve talked to him a lot, because I think I can move his game forward a lot easier. Sometimes he gets so much attention when he drops the ball, people want to turn him down so he can’t touch the ball anymore. Especially when he comes out in transition, setting up high ball screens for him so he can use the court, like the open court in transition to use his speed, to use his ability to finish over the edge, or just shoot. a 3.

“I think I can also help him out there so he can get shots easier than not forcing but taking contested shots. He did that, he has amazing shooting ability, but I think I can make his game even easier for him just to make it open for 3s.

To hear LaVine say it, the relationship starts quickly.

“I like everything about him, man. Very vocal, very physical, selfless. He talks a lot there. He has talked a lot about opening up to me. I have to understand his game, ”LaVine said of Theis. “And he brings a physicality and a little bit of effort into the game.”

Theis passage, too, could very well have some use, especially given Donovan inclination to put his bigs in position to facilitate – from Thad Young to Wendell Carter Jr. to Vučević – and the instability of the Bulls as a point guard. Theis made three assists in his debut and averaged 1.6 cents in 43 appearances for the Celtics before the trade. – just 0.1 off his career-high 1.7 average set last season.

“I feel pretty comfortable there, ”Theis said. “I think me and Vooch in particular and Thad as passer, sometimes it’s easy to use the big one as a passer instead of just throwing pick-and-rolls. Play with the guards, just play the split game, screen each other and cut in the basket. Sometimes it’s harder to stop this than any pick-and-roll.

For all the sake of his debut, however, Theis said the loss marred him. It’s all part of the acclimatization process, which he says should only advance from here.

“The good thing about the NBA, what I’ve learned is that you can use it in a game,” Theis said. “You can’t get mad about yesterday. We didn’t play a good game, but it’s the next game tomorrow, so we can expect it to be and improve.

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