Daniel Theis and Rob Williams splitting time at the center spot certainly worked fairly well last night in Boston's 119-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Theis got the start, playing 30 minutes at center, while Rob came off the bench for 14 minutes of floor time.
The center duo accounted for totals of 44 minutes, 11 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and SEVEN BLOCKS. They shot a combined 5-of-11 from the field for a respectable 45%. Jayson Tatum only had one assist last night, but it was an on-the-money dish to Daniel:
It is the seven combined blocks by the center pair that gets my attention. We knew that was Rob's specialty, but it is also becoming a mainstay of Theis. Daniel has blocked nine shots over the last two games.
Neither center can be labeled a stretch-5, but a quick look at Daniel's stats from last season show he hit 26-of-67 3-pointers for a very-decent 38.8%. He also was 54.9% on field goals in 2018-19. In his first two seasons in Boston, he never reached one-block-per game. He is averaging 2.6 BPG this year. Theis' 22.0 minutes/game this season are a career high for him, and he is making the most of the uptick.
Ditto for Rob. He is averaging 15.2 minutes per game, up from 8.8 MPG last season - and he should be in the mid-20's by mid-season. The Theis-Williams pairing is undersized by NBA standards, and Williams still needs more seasoning prior to playoff time, but the duo just could be a solution for the Celtics at the 5-spot. Enes Kanter should return from injury soon, but I would hate to see the minutes of Theis or Rob take a significant hit.
Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel, @CausewayStreet and Facebook
The center duo accounted for totals of 44 minutes, 11 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and SEVEN BLOCKS. They shot a combined 5-of-11 from the field for a respectable 45%. Jayson Tatum only had one assist last night, but it was an on-the-money dish to Daniel:
Jayson Tatum with the sick dish to a cutting Daniel Theis 🤢 pic.twitter.com/NHfhqXyLvb
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) November 1, 2019
It is the seven combined blocks by the center pair that gets my attention. We knew that was Rob's specialty, but it is also becoming a mainstay of Theis. Daniel has blocked nine shots over the last two games.
Daniel Theis' five blocked shots tonight represent a new career high https://t.co/tCxxy7wkb4
— Celtics Stats (@celtics_stats) November 6, 2019
Neither center can be labeled a stretch-5, but a quick look at Daniel's stats from last season show he hit 26-of-67 3-pointers for a very-decent 38.8%. He also was 54.9% on field goals in 2018-19. In his first two seasons in Boston, he never reached one-block-per game. He is averaging 2.6 BPG this year. Theis' 22.0 minutes/game this season are a career high for him, and he is making the most of the uptick.
Ditto for Rob. He is averaging 15.2 minutes per game, up from 8.8 MPG last season - and he should be in the mid-20's by mid-season. The Theis-Williams pairing is undersized by NBA standards, and Williams still needs more seasoning prior to playoff time, but the duo just could be a solution for the Celtics at the 5-spot. Enes Kanter should return from injury soon, but I would hate to see the minutes of Theis or Rob take a significant hit.
Follow Tom at @CelticsSentinel, @CausewayStreet and Facebook
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