Isaiah Thomas Continues to Show Adaptability
Isaiah Thomas continues to change the ways he can impress us
After having the two highest scoring games of his career with 44 against the Grizzlies and 52 against the Heat this season, Isaiah Thomas hit another career high with 15 assists in a commanding victory against the Utah Jazz. Up against arguably the best defense in the league, Thomas had one of the most dynamic games of his career, beating them in every way he knew how.
Thomas’ 15 assists were with 29 points on 10 of 18 shooting and just one turnover. Thomas was able to attack the Jazz in any way he wanted, and he helped that his teammates were shooting great around him. Thomas realized that Jae Crowder was getting open and he wasn’t missing so he kept going to him. Crowder finished with 22 points on an incredible 5-6 from three point range.
Thomas lead the way, and the Celtics had their best overall offensive performance of the season. Considering the team they ere wup against, the Celtics did a remarkable job of never playing out of rhythm on offense. They finished shooting 54 percent from three point range on 31 assists.
Thomas is setting the tone for everyone, and he is continuing to prove to be one of the most dynamic guards in the league. In these last two career days for Thomas, he has been in different roles on the offensive end. Against the Heat with Avery Bradley out of the lineup, the Celtics put the ball in Marcus Smart‘s hands a lot, allowing Thomas to kill them off the ball.
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Against the Heat, Thomas finished with 26 shot attempts, well above his season average of 18.9. On top of that, Thomas got the the line 13 times, with a grand total of zero assists. Against the Jazz, his approach changed completely. With Bradley back playing off the ball, Thomas commanded the floor as well as he has in his entire career. He got all his teammates going and attacked much less than we are accustomed to.
Thomas finished just under his average with 18 field goal attempts, but his free throws were all the way down to just four, significantly below his season average of nine per game. Thomas understood how the Celtics could attack the Jazz, and that meant getting more of his teammates involved.
Time and time again, Thomas shows an ability and a willingness to grow and adapt according to any situation that he is in. After showing his ability to score in his first half season with the team, Thomas came back the next season with 6.2 assists per game, up from 3.7 in his last season with the Suns. Thomas rounded out his game according to how Stevens needed him to play. Now, he is optimizing everything. Thomas is not just growing in one area, he is growing in every area.
This adaptability gives Stevens such a great luxury with lineups. The Celtics love to play three guards and having both him and Smart be comfortable playing on or off the ball gives them all kinds of options. The Celitcs are improved on offense for a lot of reason this season. Al Horford‘s had an impact as a scorer and a distributor, Bradley is shooting career highs, Smart is distributing at a career high, but it is Thomas’ 5.2 increase in points per game, while sacrificing just 0.1 assists per game that is making the biggest difference.
The Celtics have always looked for versatility in their players. They use forwards that are always interchangeable. They have small forwards that need to be able to play the four, and then there is Smart who can play and defend from the one to the four. Right now, Thomas is showing a different kind of versaility.
It is not a physical versatility and he can only play the one or the two. Instead, Thomas is expanding his game in multiple ways to have different options when it comes to attacking on the offensive end. The Celtics have always seen how smart Thomas is on the offensive end, and Stevens certainly deserves a lot of the credit. Thomas is continuing to learn how to optimize all his talents, and become the best player in as many ways as possible for the Celtics.
The Celtics knew they had a steal of a trade from the Suns as soon as Thomas joined the Celtics. They knew they had a special player when he hit career highs in his second season with 22.2 points per game and 6.2 assists per game.
Now his 27.7 points per game are fifth best in the league, while maintaining his distribution numbers, increasing his free throws numbers and, perhaps most impressively, reducing his turnovers. Keep in mind, this is also at 33.5 minutes per game, ranking 41st in the league.
Next: Marcus Smart Evolving As Floor General
Thomas is turning this season into the kind that Celtics may not have even expected and it is because his ability to attack defenses in every way imaginable. Shooting, driving and passing, Thomas continues to be unstoppable.