Former Rockets Center Daniel Theis Competing With Boston Celtics In NBA Finals

While the Houston Rockets sit on the sidelines for this year's NBA Finals, a familiar face is set to take center stage.

Former Rockets center Daniel Theis could see some action this series for his Boston Celtics as they take on the Golden State Warriors.

Last offseason, Theis signed a four-year, $35.6 million with the Rockets to be the team's veteran presence in the frontcourt. However, lineups with Theis proved to be an awkward fit and he was phased out of the rotation in favor of playing Christian Wood and rookie Alperen Sengun.

During his Rockets tenure, Theis played 26 games (21 starts) and averaged 8.4 points per game to go with five rebounds.

Ultimately, the Rockets looked to move Theis and found a home back in Boston at the NBA Trade Deadline.

Theis began his NBA career in Boston back in 2017 as a 25-year-old with experience playing professionally in Germany, his home country.

Theis worked his way up to a starting role with the Celtics and played an important role during the 2019-20 season. In the NBA bubble, Theis started all 17 games in the Celtics' playoff run, which ended in an Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Miami Heat.

This time, the Celtics were able to beat the Heat and take that extra step but Theis took a step back with Robert Williams' role increasing. Theis did not play in Games 5-7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

No matter how large of a role he plays during this year's Finals, Theis marks four straight years of former Rockets in the NBA Finals.

In 2019, Jeremy Lin and Kyle Lowry won a ring with the Toronto Raptors. In 2020, Dwight Howard won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. Last year, P.J. Tucker won his first NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Will Theis keep the streak going?

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