Three Reasons Why Isaiah Thomas Is The Sixth Man Of The Year
His Statistics This Year Are Ridiculously Good
Mar 27, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) shoots a free throw during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Boston Celtics won 96-92. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Celtics stole Isaiah Thomas from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Marcus Thornton and a 2016 First Round Pick. As a result, the Celtics have been on an offensive tear and have thrusted themselves in the playoff conversation.
Since Thomas’s debut on February 19th, the Celtics have accumulated a 16-10 record. They are 12th in the league in points per game, and 5th in the league in assists per game. That is attributed to good coaching from Coach Stevens, but it is also attributed to how well the Celtics offense runs when Thomas is in the game. Checkout his Advanced STATS below to see his contributions-
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My favorite statistic up there is the VI, or the Versatility Index; Thomas posts a 9.2 with Boston. The Versatility Index measures a player’s ability to produce in points, assists, and rebounds. It is calculated by taking the cube root of PPGx40/MPG, APGx40/MPG, and RPGx40/MPG. Just to give you guys perspective, LeBron has a VI of 11.5, Westbrook has a 14.0, and Rondo has a VI of 9.0. IMO that metric gives us the best idea on how much a player impacts their respective team while on the court. Thomas has the highest VI on the Celtics roster.
Another one of my favorite statistics is when we compare Rajon Rondo’s STATS to Isaiah Thomas’s. Rajon Rondo, one of my favorite Celtics ever, attempted 36 free-throws in 22 games. Isaiah Thomas, our new defacto leader, has 123 free throws in 18 games, almost four times as more as our former captain. That isn’t to say Rondo sucks or anything, but I wanted to point out Thomas’s aggresiveness. Something we haven’t seen in any of our Celtics on this level since the Truth and Kevin Garnett.
The point is, Thomas has the STATS to prove that he is one of the best players coming off the bench in the league. Almost 20 PPG and having the capacity to lead our young Celtics to a winning record after the All-Star break definitely puts you at the top of the Sixth Man Of The Year in my book.
Next: Thomas Has Won Over Beantown