Boston Won’t Find Another Isaiah Thomas

The Boston Celtics have been linked to almost any player that is reported to be on the trading block and with the position they are in and the assets they have, they are expected to be one of the most active teams at the trade deadline. Last season they were in a similar position, just much less developed in every area. They were far from the three seed and the playoffs were becoming a distant hope. That being said, they still had a great collection of young talent and assets, giving them a lot of power at the trade deadline.

Then Danny Ainge changed everything. The Celtics may not have traded for that immediately transcendent player but they gave up a minor draft pick and Marcus Thornton, who most Celtics fans have forgotten about entirely. Acquiring Isaiah Thomas marked a turning point in their season. They had the third best record in the east after he joined the team and he propelled them into the playoffs, even if he did it coming of the bench.

The Celtics made a huge addition in one of their most desperate areas, they got a go to scorer. They got the only player they could trust to make his own shots and Thomas dominated off the bench scoring 19 points per game. The Celtics manage to get a game changing player and they did not give up anything of significance.

If Thomas continued his role from last season and remained their best shot creator coming off the bench they that standard alone would make it next to impossible to have a repeat at this trade deadline. Then something amazing happened, Isaiah Thomas got better. He’s had moments where he’s struggled shooting the ball but he has improved in almost every phase of the game.

Thomas is averaging 1.5 more points per game, 1.2 more assists per game, 0.9 more rebounds per game and he has put those shooting woes behind him with an improved overall shooting percentage and three point percentage. Thomas transformed his game and it has allowed the Celtics to be the highest scoring team in the eastern conference.

Thomas adapted a more pass first mentality and he continues to have a similar impact creating his own shots, while making all the difference in the world creating for others. There is no doubting that Thomas deserves some of the credit for the likes of Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk being much improved shooters.

It really is hard to imagine that trade working out better for the Celtics and for that reason it may be wise for fans to temper their expectations this year. First off, Thomas was in a very unique position. He was young enough that his full potential had not been reached and he was in a cluttered young back court with the Pheonix Suns. The Suns made a decision to go in a different direction and Celtics fans will be thanking them for that for a long time.

The Thomas trade was truly a stroke a genius but is not the kind of thing that Ainge will be able to repeat. The Celtics still have the prospects and assets to make trades happen but it is too rare to see everything fall into place like it did with Thomas.

The Celtics may go after another franchise changing player and with someone like Al Horford apparently available the talent is certainly there. The problem is that if the Celtics want to get a player that will have the kind of impact that Thomas does, they are going to be sacrificing key components of their rotation and a potential top 3 pick via the Nets.

The Isaiah Thomas trade is something that should be beyond any kind of realistic expectations but that does not mean the Celtics can’t have another successful trade deadline. The Celtics are at a point where they literally do not have enough room on their roster for the players they currently have and then all the draft picks coming up, including three in the first round.

The Celtics have assets that need to be used and the trade deadline may be the best place. The Celtics have built much of this team through trades. Thomas, of course, but Crowder and Jerebko were also acquired from trades. The Celtics cannot expect another player as good as Thomas or even another player a good as Crowder but they have more than enough options to improve the team at the deadline.

The Celtics are in the best position they have even been during the Brad Stevens era and if they can hit their true stride after the trade deadline, as they did last season, then they will be a true contender for one of the top two spots in the eastern conference.

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The Celtics struck gold with Thomas last season and that is one of the rare trades that can change a franchise. Fortunately, the Celtics don’t need nearly as much improvement this year but if they make the right trade once again that could make all the difference in the world.