Veteran German Big Man Signs with the Pelicans

Veteran big man Daniel Theis will play for the New Orleans Pelicans next season after signing a one-year deal. The news was first broken by ESPN’s NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. The 32-year-old has never been much of a scorer, never averaging double digits for an entire season, but he has been a solid role player throughout his seven-year career. Theis started off with the Boston Celtics and became the starting center by his third season. That year, the Celtics lost in the Conference Finals to the Miami Heat in the year of the bubble, giving Theis valuable playoff experience. After a solid stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, Theis will look to bring his experience to the Pelicans next season.

Theis is a versatile big man at six-foot-eight, 245 lbs. While he’s slowed down a bit with age, Theis can defend decently on the perimeter, defend the rim and in the post, and even step out and shoot a bit from three, shooting 37% from beyond the arc last season. He’s always been a hard worker who does the dirty work by setting good screens and scrapping for rebounds, so even if his shot isn’t falling or he’s struggling to defend guards, he can potentially bring value to a team. Theis will look to continue to bring that same value to the Pelicans off the bench next season.

For the Pelicans, this is a great signing for the backup center spot at a cheap price and allows them to have a more versatile offense and defense. Theis is getting up there in age, so it will be interesting to see if he can continue to play at a similar level as he has throughout his career. However, either way, he brings valuable playoff and general experience with him to the roster of the Pelicans. Even if Theis doesn’t contribute much on the court, this signing should work out well for the Pelicans.