Isaiah Thomas is Just Getting Started for the Celtics

Boston Celtics All-Star guard, Isaiah Thomas, made the leap to stardom last season and his ascension isn’t over yet

Almost instinctively, if a number of NBA fans were told that their favorite basketball team would be building their roster around a 5’*8″ point guard you’d be hard-pressed to find one person that doesn’t screw their nose up and voice their disappointment.

Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas has faced this very challenge his entire basketball career. His height assumes the role of inferiority on the basketball court, being the barrier that many believed would prevent him from being great at any professional level.

However, Thomas continues to push the boundaries in a sport dominated by some of the tallest athletes on the planet. He has made it his mission to consistently defy the odds and begin solidifying his star status for the Celtics.

The newly acclaimed pint-sized star made his mark on the NBA last season, averaging a career-high 22.2 points per game and 6.2 assists. Thomas’ increased offensive production on the Celtics was a result of being given the opportunity he had been waiting for.

“This was the opportunity I had always wanted. The one I had worked my whole life for. And I was going to do everything I could to take advantage of it,” Thomas said in his post for The Players Tribune.

Isaiah Thomas was one of four players that participated in their first NBA All-Star game in Toronto last season. Names like Kawhi Leonard and Andre Drummond were right there alongside Thomas, making their first appearance as well.

Spirited Celtics fans made a strong push for Thomas’ first selection in the All-Star game but when it became a reality on January 28, it left fans and experts around the league somewhat surprised that a player of his stature could become a star in the modern NBA.

Skeptics around the league have voiced their opinion in the past few months, some even indicating that Thomas is not a legitimate star-caliber player in the NBA. Despite the rumbles, Thomas now has the keys to the Celtics and is just getting started and is only getting better.

Numbers will always tell a story, but with Isaiah Thomas, using the eye-test tells so much more – especially on the defensive end. Thomas’ will to fight on defense is nothing short of impressive. Teams predicate their offense around matching bigger players against Thomas to gain an advantage. His desire to stop opponents from taking advantage of his height is something that has likely built his ‘won’t-be-denied’ attitude.

His mental drive and confidence has taken him to the next level as an NBA guard. He has established himself as the vocal leader among the young Celtics squad, while using the media to give praise to his teammates and to set new personal goals in a public setting. Thomas  has his fair share of historical rivals that he wishes to measure up to. He announced that he is working to be the best little man to ever play basketball. Historical figures in short-player NBA lore, Muggsy Bogues and the confronting Calvin Murphy are the players standing in Thomas’ way in being the best among the little men.

The development of his game from college to the NBA has come as a surprise to many, making improvements in an array of statistical categories. Traditionally, short statured guards in the NBA lack length and are deficient defensively. The supporting cast in the Celtics backcourt of Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley make up for any supposed liabilities on defense, however his steady career average of 1.2 steals per game indicate his capability of keeping up with the bigger guards in the league.

As Thomas has transitioned from being a combo guard in Phoenix to taking over the primary ball-handling responsibility in Boston, his flashy handles have become more than just a gimmick. Even since his days in Washington, Thomas has always had the ability to hit a running floater and make a basket in the lane. Although, due to being considered a shoot-first combo guard he found a niche in the NBA that didn’t allow him to embrace his illusive handles.

For Boston, Thomas has been most dangerous off the dribble. His lazy dribble around screens ‘lulls’ his opponents into making a defensive error where he can either showcase his powerful first step or change of speeds when driving to the basket. The little man led the entire league last season in drives per game (11.7), making the inside game a more lethal weapon within his offensive repertoire.

Despite being one of the shortest players in the entirety of the NBA, Thomas took 48-percent of his total field goals within 10-feet of the basket last season. Furthermore, he is able to finish at a rate of 44 percent from this distance, making his ball control, dexterity and soft touch much more impressive when being swamped by seven-foot centers.

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Yes, general managers can say crazy things to their newly acquired players to boost their ego and pitch false hope for their organization. However Danny Ainge‘s comments to Thomas just days after acquiring him in the trade deadline deal has stuck with him during his time in Boston.

“Isaiah … the way you play the game of basketball, you could be a Celtics legend,” Danny Ainge said to Isaiah Thomas.

The embrace the Celtics fans and the organization showed to Thomas was almost immediately overwhelming and has allowed him to find a home where he can build a winning team.

At the mid-point of last season, according to Basketball Insiders, Thomas had positioned himself as an emerging favorite for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

His increase in points and assists per game were a testament to his work ethic and willingness to take the opportunity Boston has gifted him. Additionally, Thomas was the ‘iron-man’ of the Celtics last season, playing all 82 regular season games and starting 79, following Marcus Smart’s move to the bench.

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Thomas seems to fit in Boston, entering just his sixth NBA season, he has found himself in the best possible situation for his career. His ascension isn’t over yet, if his big-time improvement last season was any indication, then he almost certainly has a few more All-Star appearances left in him.