What does Daniel Theis provide for the Bulls?

To add to the acquisitions of Nikola Vucevic, Al Farouq Aminu and Troy Brown Jr., the Chicago Bulls quickly flipped Mo Wagner to Boston for another German center in Daniel Theis. This news came from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, just moments before the deadline for trades in the NBA passed. But with Wagner being flipped so quickly, it begs the question – what do the Bulls see in Theis that made them want to trade for him so quickly?

Daniel Theis brings defense and shooting to Chicago Bulls

Though Theis’ numbers on the surface of things don’t jump off the page (9.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game per Basketball-Reference), he brings a level of interior defense that has been missing in Chicago since the Joakim Noah days. The former German League Best Defender in 2017 is able to protect the rim and cover-up for many of the mistakes made on the perimeter. It has been well documented this season that the Bulls have struggled with containing big men at the rim, and for as talented as newly acquired Nikola Vucevic is on offense, he isn’t known to be the best defender. Daniel Theis on the other hand can help make up for some of the mistakes and be the anchor for either the second unit or maybe even play alongside Vucevic in the starting lineup (though unlikely).

On top of this, Theis is a much-improved shooter. On over 2 attempts per game this season, Theis is shooting 34% from 3, a respectable number for a big man. It’s rare in the NBA to find bigs who are both equally adept at playing defense and stretching the floor, but Theis checks both those boxes and looks to be a steal for the Bulls. Considering Chicago only had to give up Mo Wagner, a player who has potential but doesn’t offer anything different than the other bigs on the roster, this move helps the Bulls stay competitive even when the starters hit the bench.

Theis Addresses Rotation Concerns for Chicago Bulls

In going out and trading for the aforementioned Vucevic, the Bulls shipped out both Wendell Carter Jr. and Daniel Gafford, both centers who took up considerable chunks of the rotation. Even if they got back Mo Wagner in the trade, it was no guarantee that he would feature for a team that is undoubtedly looking to push into the playoffs. By adding Theis, he not only paints over the cracks defensively, but he fits perfectly into the rotation, taking the backup center minutes that Donovan has struggled to find consistent play from. From Thaddeus Young to Gafford to even Markkanen at times, it’s been hard to find consistent minutes at the 5 and it’s part of the reason why the Bulls are so bad against opposing centers.

Finally, Daniel Theis gives the Bulls another layer of versatility. Despite being predominantly a center, Theis found himself playing the 4 with the Boston Celtics at times this season. While it feels a little bizarre for Donovan to move Theis to the 4 with Markkanen and Young on the roster, it’s still an option to use for specific matchups against teams that like to play big. All in all, while Theis is not the biggest name on the market, he does provide solutions to a lot of the Bulls problems this year and looks to be a big part of the rotation as this team hunts for a playoff spot.