Pacers’ Daniel Theis, Germany win FIBA World Cup gold medal vs. Serbia

The FIBA World Cup is finally over, and we have a new world champion – Germany!

Following a tight 113-111 win over Tyrese Haliburton and Team USA in the semifinals, Indiana Pacers big man Daniel Theis and his teammates were hungry for more, as their work was not done.

They still had to face Serbia, led by Atlanta Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic, who was rolling through the tournament themselves, coming off a major upset win against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Team Canada in their own semifinal matchup.

Pacers’ Daniel Theis, Germany win FIBA World Cup gold medal over Serbia

Theis overshadowed Haliburton, his pacers teammate, in the semifinals, helping lead Germany to a win and setting up a gold medal game against Serbia and Bogdanovic, which they won 83-77 to claim their first gold medal since joining FIBA in 1934.

https://twitter.com/FIBAWC/status/1700882638410526829

Germany finished the World Cup undefeated, taking down Japan, Australia, Finland, Georgia, Slovenia (by 29 points), Latvia, Team USA (in a game that many are calling the greatest game in FIBA history), and finally Serbia.

Theis contributed nicely to these wins, putting up final per-game averages of 10.9 points (on 59.4/10/58.8 splits; good for fourth on the team), 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 21.8 minutes per game.

The Pacers big man was relatively quiet in Germany’s gold medal game, only putting up two points (1-for-4 FG, 0-for-3 3PT), four rebounds, and two assists in 23 minutes of playing time. However, he did not need to have a great performance, as Dennis Schroder picked up the slack with 28 points, and Franz Wagner added 19 points for good measure.

This gold medal win is sure to give Theis some good morale heading into the 2023-24 Indiana Pacers season. Some are even ranking him as Indy’s second-best big man, and the guy that should regularly back up Myles Turner.

Whether this happens or not, Theis is bound to provide some good minutes off the bench, as his leadership and experience are invaluable for the Pacers. He should be a great mentor for guys like Isaiah Jackson, Jalen Smith, and rookie Jarace Walker.

Theis has been known as a good locker-room presence and motivator ever since his days with the Boston Celtics. However, with Indiana looking to make a playoff run, Theis may be needed to suit up more often and turn his wisdom into productive NBA minutes.

For now, one thing is certain: the Pacers are very fortunate to have a player of Theis’ caliber off the bench, and he has quickly become a fan-favorite amongst Pacers fans.