Another veteran is back to Europe! Can the 33-year-old Thes still return to the NBA?

Remember Thes? He also said goodbye to the NBA.

Recently, Thes was interviewed by the media. He said that he had received a offer from the Knicks before leaving the NBA last season, but Monaco Basketball Club head coach Span Norris (who should be familiar with him) played an important role in his decision process.

In the offseason last year, Theis reached a one-year, 3 million yuan contract with the Pelicans, but after only playing 38 games for the Pelicans, he was sent to the Thunder in a deal.

The Pelicans have not many reasons for this move. Chunchun is to avoid taxes, and for this reason they also took on a second round of picks in 2031.

Joining the championship team was a good thing, but the Thunder did not intend to keep Thes. Shortly after the deal was concluded, Thes was cut. He stayed in the data last season: Average 16.3 minutes per game, scored 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists, and shot 57.3% from the field. After

was sacked, many NBA teams expressed their interest in Thes and offered offers for him, but Thes finally decided to leave the NBA and join Monaco. The news at the time was that Thes wanted to go to a team that would allow him to play a bigger role. Objectively speaking, Thes's idea has indeed come true. In the 15 games since joining Monaco last season, he averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, shooting percentage of 60.3% and three-point shooting percentage of 42.3%, which is completely different from the NBA role.

It should be noted that Tees signed a two-year contract with Monaco. This contract expires in 2026, but it has the option of jumping out of the contract and returning to the NBA this summer, but Tees did not execute it, which also means that he will continue to play in Monaco next season and stay away from the NBA again.

European players leave the NBA and choose the European League for only a few reasons: more money, less work, close to home, and high status. I believe the same is true for Theis.

From historical examples, it is easy to go from the NBA to the European League, but it is difficult to go back to the NBA from Europe. There is a high probability that the NBA career belonging to Thes has ended.

This is also a pity, because to be honest, Thes actually has the possibility of continuing to play in the NBA.

Here, you might as well review Thes's career.

Thes was a undraft in the 2013 class. He did not enter the NBA until 2017. He then played for nearly four years with the Celtics. During these four years, he has grown into an excellent substitute insider. In his best season, he averaged 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. After 2021, Thes has wandered the Bulls, Rockets, and Celtics (returned), and then joined the Pacers in 2022 and played for one and a half seasons with the Pacers.

In the middle of the 2023-24 season, Tes joined the Clippers and played 59 games this year, averaging 17.1 minutes per game, scoring 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.9 blocks, shooting percentage of 56% and three-point shooting percentage of 37.1%.

The advantages of Thes are very obvious. At his peak, he had good defense replacement and assisted defense capabilities, and his rebounding was not bad. What's important is that Thes also has a certain outside shooting ability. In the era of emphasizing defense replacement and space, it is not surprising that players like Thes will be favored.

But Thes also has some shortcomings, such as he is only 2.03 meters tall, he is short in the inside line, and although he can shoot three-pointers, his three-pointers are very unstable. A good season shooting percentage can exceed 38%, while a bad season cannot even reach 30%.

Pure personal point of view, Thes is still capable of continuing to survive in the NBA, but the role he can accept is a relatively single one, which is a substitute blue-collar insider who averages 10 to 15 minutes per game. His main function is to grab the board, defend, and open up space. This is also the reason why teams such as the Knicks pursue him.

However, the current major trend in the league is not friendly to Thes. In recent years, it has not only emphasized space and defense, but also body shape. As a short inside player, Thes is already 33 years old, and his defense is not as good as before. His ability to switch defense has declined. Even if he can still find a job this season, he may face elimination next season. In this case, it is not a good idea to decisively choose to leave the NBA and return to the European League. As we said before, you can have a better team role with more money and less trouble.

But, I still couldn't help but sigh that the departure of some role players was really silent. Like Thes, if he hadn't suddenly seen his news, it would be difficult to notice his current situation. I hope I can see you in the NBA one day.