Historically, Daniel Theis has played some of the best basketball of his career in international competitions. That trend continued this weekend as the former Celtics big man put on a superb performance for Germany in a win over Lithuania in EuroBasket group play.
Theis erupted for 23 points but did so with a perfect shooting night, going 9-of-9 from the field including 3-of-3 from the 3-point line. He also made both of his free throws to cap off a flawless offensive performance while chipping in with six rebounds, a steal and a block in a 107-88 win over Lithuania and fellow NBA big man Jonas Valanciunas. Former Celtics guard Dennis Schroder also had a game-high 26 points to help Germany to improve to 3-0 in Group B play, securing the team’s spot in the round-of-16.
Theis elected to leave the NBA last season after he was waived by the Thunder following a trade deadline salary dump by the New Orleans Pelicans. However, the big man performed well with AS Monaco and the 33-year-old appears to have plenty left in the tank amid his EuroBasket play. He’s starred for the German national team this decade as they’ve had plenty of success including earning the 2023 FIBA World Cup title. It’s unclear if Theis will garner more interest stateside after his performances in the coming weeks, he reportedly turned down a deal with the Knicks last spring before electing to play in Europe.
Through three games, Theis is shooting 81 percent from the field in EuroBasket while averaging 13.3 points per game. Theis and Germany will close out group play with games against Great Britain and Finland this week as they attempt to secure the top spot in Group B heading into the knockout round.
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