Report: Daniel Theis debut for Indiana Pacers could come this week
When the Indiana Pacers traded Malcolm Brogdon to the Boston Celtics in the offseason, they acquired center Daniel Theis as a part of the deal. The five-year veteran is a bruising big man with a ton of playoff experience.
Theis played for Boston last season and appeared in two games during the NBA Finals. He then spent some of his time between the 2021-22 season and the 2022-23 season playing for the Germany men's basketball team in various competitions, including a Bronze Medal finish during Eurobasket 2022. Between an extended NBA season and many battles during the late summer months, Theis didn't have much of an offseason.
When he arrived in Indiana for training camp, he participated in a few practices but was dealing with soreness in his right knee. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle noted that the team thought it was an overuse issue at first after Theis' busy summer, so he sat out for a while to rest the knee.
That rest didn't make the soreness go away, however, so Theis and the Pacers agreed that surgery was the best option. The big man had knee surgery in early November to "address persistent soreness," and he has been on the mend ever since.
Theis noted in late December that he was close to being able to get back on the court as a part of his rehab process. "Rehab is going pretty good," he told reporters in Boston at the time.
Now, just over one month later, the German big man is close to being available for the Pacers. According to a report from Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, the target date for Theis' to potentially return for the blue and gold is later this week.
"I’m told the target date for his return to game action is next Thursday, at home against the Los Angeles Lakers," Agness writes. The Pacers host the Lakers on February 2.
On January 23, Carlisle discussed Theis' recovery. "They're both doing well," Carlisle said of Theis and Kendall Brown. "Daniel is doing better. He'll be available at some point soon," he added.
It isn't clear exactly what Theis' role will be when he returns. The Pacers already have a ton of big men in the mix for minutes every night, so it may be hard for the German center to get playing time. Having more depth available is preferable to having less, though, so Theis being an option soon will be a benefit for Carlisle's team.
The Pacers have three days off in between games before taking on the Lakers for their next game on Thursday.
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