Isaiah Thomas has faced more than enough adversity to finally reach NBA stardom with the Boston Celtics
If you haven’t already heard, I will reiterate it for you once again: Isaiah Thomas is simply one of a kind. Barely standing 5-9 without shoes, Thomas officially established himself as one of the elite point guards in the game.
Thomas’ path to stardom began at Curtis Senior High School in University Place, Washington. Coming out of high school, Thomas was a four-star recruit by Rivals. Ranked 14th in the nation as a point guard, Thomas posted a scoring average of an outstanding 32.8 points in 28 games played as a Viking.
Perhaps the most defining game in Thomas’ high school career came when he went ballistic for 51 points at the Tacoma Dome. During the state semi-finals in 2006, Thomas hit 16 of his 30 field goal attempts, and knocked down eight of his 16 treys.
“Everybody to this day still talks about that game,” Thomas said, per Jayson Jenks of The Seattle Times.
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After receiving offers from a multitude of schools, such as Kentucky and Connecticut, Thomas’ loyalty to his hometown was amongst the biggest contributing factor of joining the Huskies’ basketball program. Thomas ultimately announced his intention to sign with UW on April 20th, 2006 via news briefing.
“In the end, my relationship with coach Romar and the loyalty I had with UW for sticking with me, it was like I had to stay.” Thomas said, per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.
Over the course of three collegiate seasons at UW, Thomas posted averages of 16.4 points and four assists whilst shooting 42.6 percent from the field. One of his most iconic moments as a Husky was hitting the game winner against Arizona in the 2011 Pac-10 tournament.
“He’s just a great player, a great passer,” then-Huskies teammate Jon Brockman said.
During his collegiate basketball career, Thomas was seen as an undersized shoot-first point with tendencies to over-dribble and wrack up turnovers. As a junior, Thomas lead the Huskies in points, assists, and steals while leading his squad to an overall 24-11 record. After his junior year at UW, Thomas declared his intentions to go pro, and entered his name in the NBA draft on March 31st, 2011.
“Although it was a tough decision, I have decided to forgo my senior season and enter my name into this year’s NBA draft,” Thomas said, per Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times.
Thomas would eventually get picked dead last at 60 by the Sacramento Kings in the 2011 NBA Draft. Since then, Thomas has been playing with a chip on a shoulder, and established himself as one of the most overlooked prospects in draft history. Currently in the midst of his seventh professional season, Thomas established himself as a bona fide NBA star.
“I feel like I’m the best player in the world,” Thomas told The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. “That’s just the work I put in, and if you don’t feel like that, then you’re cheating yourself.”
Listed officially at 5-9, Thomas stands only 5-8 and ¾ without shoes, according to his pre-draft measurements at the 2011 NBA Draft Combine. It was apparent from the get-go that Thomas’ height wasn’t going to impede his game in the NBA where the average height is 6-7.
Thomas eventually made his NBA debut on December 26th, 2011 against the Lakers. His first couple years in the Association only paved the way into Thomas’ eventual stardom, where he saw himself average 12.7 points on 44.4 percent shooting in 99 games as a starter.
However, it wasn’t until Thomas’ third season, and last in Sacramento, where he saw a significant increase in his productivity. In the 2013-14 season, Thomas averaged 20.3 a game, and saw improvements in his playmaking abilities, dishing out 6.3 assists.
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Thomas has also earned himself a reputation as one of the ultimate closers in the NBA today. Dubbed “Mr. 4th Quarter” by fans, Thomas is shooting an incredibly efficient 47.5 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, including 43.3 percent of his 74 three point field goal attempts, per NBASavant.
As fans of the NBA, we rarely get to appreciate the greatness of a 5-9 combo guard in a league dominated by seven footers – let alone as the 60th overall pick. Thomas may be far from Hall of Fame eligibility at this point in his career, but his journey to one of the great little guards to ever play is far from over.
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For now, let us all appreciate what we’re witnessing from Thomas, because we have never seen a talent like him in league history – ever.