Last Updated on July 24, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Daniel Theis carved out a successful NBA career after developing his game in Europe, earning a reputation as a reliable and hard-working frontcourt player. His defensive awareness, screen setting, and team-first approach have made him a trusted contributor in a variety of roles.

Here’s detailed information about Cam Thomas:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Daniel Theis.
  • Nickname: “Theis.”
  • Nationality: German.
  • Date of Birth: April 4, 1992.
  • Hometown: Salzgitter, Germany. (RealGM Basketball)
  • Height: 6’8″ (2.03 m).
  • Weight: 245 lb (111 kg).
  • Wingspan: Sports Forecaster describes him as having a “great wingspan,” but does not publish a measurement. (sportsforecaster.com)
  • Shoe Size: Not publicly documented in a strong source I could verify.
  • Jersey Number:
    • No college number — he did not play U.S. college basketball.
    • 27 — Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers.
    • 10 — Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Germany national team, AS Monaco.
  • Position: Center / power forward.
  • High School: Not publicly documented
  • College: None; he developed in Germany and NBA.com lists his last attended club as Brose Bamberg. (NBA)
  • NBA Draft (include team, year, and pick number): Undrafted in 2013; no NBA team selected him. (NBA)
  • Teams Played For:
    • SG Braunschweig — 2010–2012.
    • Phantoms Braunschweig — 2010–2012.
    • Ratiopharm Ulm — 2012–2014.
    • Brose Bamberg — 2014–2017.
    • Boston Celtics — 2017–2021, 2022.
    • Chicago Bulls — 2021.
    • Houston Rockets — 2021–2022.
    • Indiana Pacers — 2022–2023.
    • Los Angeles Clippers — 2023–2024.
    • New Orleans Pelicans — 2024–2025.
    • Oklahoma City Thunder — 2025 offseason transaction only; acquired and waived before appearing in a game.
    • AS Monaco — 2025–present.
  • Player Archetype: Physical two-way screening big / defensive anchor who can function as a mobile modern center. This archetype is an inference from official and scouting descriptions of his defense, screening, and team-first role. (asmonaco.basketball)
  • Primary Offensive Role: Screen setter, roll man, short-roll passer, finisher around the rim, and occasional floor-spacer from the big spot. (asmonaco.basketball)
  • Defensive Role: Interior defender and team scheme big who plays physically in pick-and-roll coverage, protects the paint, rebounds, and switches when needed. (asmonaco.basketball)
  • Play Style: Tough, efficient, low-maintenance frontcourt play built around screens, rim runs, smart positioning, physicality, and connective offense. (asmonaco.basketball)
  • Handedness / Shooting Hand: Right-handed shooter. (Basketball Reference)
  • Athletic Profile: Strong-framed, mobile, physical big with solid vertical pop and enough agility to handle modern defensive assignments. Boston Globe described him as an athletic forward with “impossibly long arms,” while scouting sources emphasize mobility and length. (BostonGlobe.com)
  • Recruiting Status: Not applicable in the U.S. recruiting sense; he came through the German club development pathway rather than NCAA recruiting. (Wikipedia)
  • Draft Status Detail: Entered the NBA path through European club development, went undrafted, and later earned his NBA role after establishing himself in Germany with Ulm and Bamberg before signing with Boston in 2017. (The Draft Review)
  • Injury Status Category: Active. He returned recently for Monaco after a short spell of forced rest, and Monaco reported the rest of the group was fully available around that return. (asmonaco.basketball)
  • Career Stage: Veteran late-prime / experienced pro big in the European elite phase of his career. (asmonaco.basketball)
  • Comparison Style: Maxi Kleber–type mold with more interior bruising: a mobile, defensive-minded European big who screens, protects the rim, and fits beside creators. This is a stylistic comparison, not a sourced one.
  • Championship Rings: 0 NBA championships. He did reach the 2022 NBA Finals with Boston. (Wikipedia)
  • Parents: Not publicly documented.
  • Children: Two children, Laila and Milo. (NBA)
  • Siblings: One older brother, Frank Theis. (NBA)
  • Athlete Relatives: Older brother Frank also played professionally in Germany. (NBA)

Player Archetype / Play Style

Daniel Theis’s player archetype is that of a rugged two-way screening big, a frontcourt connector whose value starts with defense and extends into all the low-glamour work that keeps an offense organized. Defensively, he operates as a physical interior presence who can handle pick-and-roll coverage, contest in the paint, rebound, and hold up well enough in modern switching environments, while offensively he thrives as a screen setter, roll man, short-roll passer, and efficient finisher rather than a high-volume creator. At 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, he brings a thick, strong frame with good mobility for a big, and his overall play style is built on toughness, timing, positioning, and team-first execution more than flair. He is the type of center who makes lineups function by defending hard, creating contact, moving the ball, and giving teams a dependable, professional edge on both ends. (asmonaco.basketball)

Scouting Report

Daniel Theis is one of those centres whose influence becomes much clearer once you stop following the ball. He spends entire possessions creating small advantages with screen angles, timely seals and subtle repositioning that make life easier for the guards around him. The first thing you notice is how rarely he rushes those details. He’ll flip the angle of a pick-and-roll screen at the last second, open a driving lane with a well-timed post seal or drift into the perfect outlet position after an offensive rebound instead of forcing a contested finish. He isn’t a playmaking hub, but he understands where the next pass should go, particularly on short rolls when help rotates early, and he’ll keep the ball moving without trying to manufacture difficult reads. The trade-off is that he offers little isolation scoring, and longer rim protectors can neutralise him around the basket if he can’t establish leverage first. Defensively, that’s where his feel stands out. He plays drop coverage with patience, staying connected to the ball long enough to discourage pull-up jumpers before recovering to the roller, and he’s disciplined as the low man when rotations become scrambled. He isn’t the most explosive shot blocker, yet he consistently challenges vertically and avoids taking himself out of the play chasing highlights. Against quicker guards in space, there are limits to how far he can extend above the level of the screen, but he usually compensates by recognising actions early and communicating coverages before they fully develop. To me, he’s the kind of centre who fits best alongside dynamic perimeter creators because he embraces the connective responsibilities that keep an offence organised without demanding touches himself. His willingness to do the unnoticed work allows teammates to play faster and with more freedom. There are similarities to Aron Baynes in the physical screening and disciplined interior defence, while aspects of his game also resemble Mason Plumlee, particularly the ability to facilitate from the short roll and quietly stabilise possessions through sound positioning rather than overwhelming physical tools.

Sources:

NBA.com — Daniel Theis | Forward-Center
NBA.com — Daniel Theis | Forward-Center
AS Monaco Basket — Daniel THEIS
AS Monaco Basket — Daniel Theis, un champion du monde arrive en Principauté
FIBA — Daniel Theis – FIBA EuroBasket 2025
Basketball-Reference — Daniel Theis Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
The Draft Review — 2013 Undrafted – Daniel Theis
Sports Forecaster — Daniel Theis Stats, Profile, Bio, Analysis and More
The Boston Globe — How Celtic Daniel Theis went from annoying kid brother to the family’s basketball star
Land of Basketball — NBA Players: Daniel Theis Profile and Basic Stats