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Daniel Theis challenges Brad Wanamaker to dunk during a May 6 game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Chicago Bulls acquired Daniel Theis from the Boston Celtics at close of trade in hopes of getting his upcoming free agency going.
With six games to go, his return to the Windy City is increasingly unlikely.
Theis has impressed in his 21 games with the Bulls and started in the last 12.
But Chicago has only been available 7-14 with him since close of trading and was eliminated from the playoffs for the fourth time in a row.
In his latest piece for The Athletic, Darnell Mayberry went over each of the Chicago Bulls’ outstanding freelance agents and predicted their future with the team.When it came to Daniel Theis, he went on the big one to date for the first time Man:
Theis is a scrapper, a player who takes pride in doing the dirty work or whatever it takes to help his team win. But he also has skill. His perimeter shoot has fallen sharply since arriving from Boston, but his interior standings and rim protection have been good.
As an upcoming unrestricted free agent who turned 29 last month, Theis will likely be his last big deal want to complete while looking for an optimal playing time. He’s averaged 26.4 minutes since he started playing – more than ever before in Boston while sharing the middle position. If it finds an even better fit, it will ricochet.
Even then, Mayberry almost implied that Chicago might not be as excited about bringing him back as it was weeks ago, given the uncomfortable nature of his takeover:
Theis does not match his current position, which is why it would be a surprise if the cops continued with the status quo.
Besides Vucevic, who is not that skilled at this end of the ground, Theis has the much-needed rim protection brought along. But it’s made for an almost awkward fit on the offensive, something they can’t afford.
As important as his skills are in the Chicago Bulls’ front office and across the league, so little is immediate Return of the numbers with Daniel Theis on the floor.
According to Cleaning the Glass, you get 104.3 points per 100 possessions (10th percentile) and allow 114.8 (30th percentile) with the big man on the floor this season (558 possessions).
This correlates with the poor playing time for the Bulls in the last 12 games in which Theis was on the starting line-up. Her average of 104.2 points per game over that period is good for 29th place in the NBA.
Chicago was in eleven of those games without Zach LaVine and in two games with Nikola Vucevic. Without their two best players, the cops were nothing short of a dumpster fire overall.
Now that both of the team’s all-stars are healthy and on the floor, the remaining six games should give the front office the much-needed time to evaluate the players around them. Especially the upcoming free funds.
It is unclear whether it will be enough to change an unlikely future for Daniel Theis and the Chicago Bulls.
That’s good for 11th seed in the Eastern Conference and three games back from 10th seed Washington Wizards.
Action Network only gives them a 14.6 percent chance of 10th seed too land and stamp your ticket for the playoffs.
As well as a 63.5 percent chance of 11th place and a 20.3 percent chance of 12th place.
So the chances are good against the Chicago Bulls, who are 4-6 in their last 10.
Ref: https://heavy.com
