Boston Should Keep Thomas Coming Off the Bench

Isaiah Thomas presents a very unique situation with the Boston Celtics. Its not often that a bench player emerges as a team’s best player but that is exactly what Thomas did last season. He blew everyone away on the scoring front with over 19 points per game and immediately became the number one option.

As Chris Forsberg points out in the Celtics Summer Forecast, Thomas never hesitates to make it clear that he is interested in being a starter. Throw in that Brad Stevens never shut down the possibility of his starting and it appears to be a legitimate idea.

Thomas has done more than enough to earn a spot on the starting roster but the problem is that the team as a whole will be better if Thomas continues to come off the bench.

It is not as if Thomas’ minutes suffer drastically as he was still one of the team leaders in minutes but his impact is much stronger coming off the bench.

First off, he is phenomenal at taking advantage of mis matches. Thomas comes in against second units and that gives him plenty of opportunities to exploit the defense. Thomas is the best on the team at creating his own shot and he is much more capable of doing that then when he is defended by a second option.

Apr 14, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) drives the ball against Toronto Raptors guard Louis Williams (23) in the second half at TD Garden. The Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors 95-93. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Celtics distribute their minutes more evenly and deeper than any other team in the league and that puts even more importance on the second unit. The Celtics do not get as much out of their starters and that makes it vitally important that their bench produces.

Thomas also has to worry about the fact that he is a player that loves to have the ball in his hands and that is a role that the Celtics might want to see Marcus Smart take on. Last season Smart took a bit of a step back on the offensive end as his game was completely unproven.

Smart still has a long ways to go but he has become an established leader on the team and with how well he improved his three point shot in just his rookie season there is tremendous potential for him. The Celtics will want to see exactly what Smart has to offer on the offensive end and having Thomas alongside him on the court could hinder his progress.

One potential scenario is if Thomas takes over as the starting shooting guard but that may create more problems than it can solve. First off, it leaves the Celtics with absolutely no size what so ever. The Celtics know they will have an undersized front court with David Lee, Amir Johnson and Jordan Mickey but if they are starting both Smart and Thomas they will reach a new low.

Smart’s height is not quite a lability at 6’4 but with the 5’9 Thomas playing alongside him the Celtics will get decimated on the boards. The Celtics have nobody on the team that will allow that lineup to be strong on the boards and unless Mickey is immediately dominant they will be better off with one of their taller guards such as the 6’7 Evan Turner or R.J Hunter.

Another reason having Thomas start is a bad idea is that it will give him fewer opportunities to run the offense. When Thomas is playing alongside the second unit he has a lot more control. However, if he is playing with Smart there is a good chance that Smart will take away from of his control.

Apr 21, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) and guard Isaiah Thomas (4) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

If Smart wants to develop more into Stevens’ offensive system then he will need to be playing with the ball in his hands and even though Thomas would be extremely effective playing with the ball out of his hands, he can have a much larger impact if he is the one in control.

There is no doubting that the Celtics’ starting unit would be much better offensively with Thomas but the defensive end could also suffer. Smart, Avery Bradley, Turner and even Terry Rozier are all great defenders that Thomas simply cannot compare to. Rozier still has to prove himself but he has the potential to be a top defender on the team and the other three are significant upgrades over Thomas.

Thomas can hold his own against most opponents but his size puts him at a distinct disadvantage and he is not nearly as strong as an off ball defender. The Celtics still do not have much rim protection and they depend greatly on the defense of their back court. If the Celtics comprise that area of their game then their defense will continue to lose them games.

Jordan Mickey cannot be expected to solve all their rim protection problems and until they get a legitimate presence in the paint they will need their best defensive guards on the court as much as possible.

Thomas is arguably the most talented player on the Celtics and is one of the most important pieces of the core that they have currently built but his role is best suited coming off the bench. The Celtics need to get the absolute most out of Thomas and his impact will always be best felt with him on the second unit.

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