Isaiah Thomas - NBADraft.net

This topic contains 12 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by kaanyrvhok 12 years, 6 months ago.

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Posted on: Mon, 12/23/2013 - 1:12pm #53173

B-ball fan
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It is still early in Isaiah Thomas’ stint as the Kings starting pg, but he is on his way to proving those who characterized him as best off as a bench player wrong. In his last eight games, his first eight starts of the season, IT has averaged 20.9-7.4-3.0 with 47.2/40.9/88.6 shooting numbers in 38.9 mpg. All of those numbers are better than the numbers he put up as a bench player. And this is not just due to increased minutes, as his efficiency and per-minute stats have also improved.
As a back-up in 27.7 mpg, IT averaged 17.8/4.9/2.3 on 45.8/40.3/86.0 shooting. His TOs per game as a backup were also higher on a per minute basis, with IT averaging 2.6 TOs per game as a back-up and 3.0 TOs per game in increased minutes as a starter.
If even some of IT’s improvement as a starter is sustainable, his numbers will compare very favorably with other top PGs by the end of the season. Currently, his TS% is the fourth best among starting pgs in the NBA, behind Calderon, Bledsoe, and Curry, and he if his improvements as a starter are even halfway sustainable, he should pass Curry and Bledsoe before long.
I just wanted to point out IT’s progress. He may be the NBA’s most underrated player and he was already having a career year before his recent run as a starter. He still has a ways to go on defense, but he is one of the best young offensive pgs in the game, with an improving assist rate that is becoming comparable to top tier pgs and incredibly efficient scoring from all over the court. The Kings are only 3-5 with IT starting (and 8-18 overall on the season), but they clearly have an excellent young pg. They have had mixed results otherwise, with IT being the team’s most consistent performer, but wins aren’t going to come until they improve their defense. IT’s name comes up in trade rumors, but his value to his team almost certainly outpaces his trade value.

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Posted on: Mon, 12/23/2013 - 1:57pm #858696

Chrispy
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It has been a lot of fun to watch him through his college career and now the first few years of his pro career. I agree with most everything in your post, although defense will ALWAYS be an issue for him simply because of his size. He will remain a liability, as all very short players do, because his presence allows oppossing teams to exploit him in the post and by using ball scrrens to cause cross matches. Sure he will learn tricks of the trade and when to adjust position to front a posting PG, but he will always have a disadvantage there.
The ability of a player, especially a small one, to ensure that his abilities outweigh his liabilities is paramount, and obiously he has done this. His offense has been efficient and his production is important to his team from both a scoring and distribution standpoint, so I don’t see any reason why he won’t continue to put up the same numbers for the remainder of this season. He will always have the ball in his hand, so shot attempts and assist opportunites will remain abundant. Thanks for the post! Glad to see others excited for him. Though not a Kings fan , I always root for an underdog player like Thomas.
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Posted on: Mon, 12/23/2013 - 1:57pm #858587

Chrispy
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It has been a lot of fun to watch him through his college career and now the first few years of his pro career. I agree with most everything in your post, although defense will ALWAYS be an issue for him simply because of his size. He will remain a liability, as all very short players do, because his presence allows oppossing teams to exploit him in the post and by using ball scrrens to cause cross matches. Sure he will learn tricks of the trade and when to adjust position to front a posting PG, but he will always have a disadvantage there.
The ability of a player, especially a small one, to ensure that his abilities outweigh his liabilities is paramount, and obiously he has done this. His offense has been efficient and his production is important to his team from both a scoring and distribution standpoint, so I don’t see any reason why he won’t continue to put up the same numbers for the remainder of this season. He will always have the ball in his hand, so shot attempts and assist opportunites will remain abundant. Thanks for the post! Glad to see others excited for him. Though not a Kings fan , I always root for an underdog player like Thomas.
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Posted on: Mon, 12/23/2013 - 3:16pm #858712

Ny2daDeathOFme
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he might start a bidding war this up coming off season.
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Posted on: Mon, 12/23/2013 - 3:16pm #858603

Ny2daDeathOFme
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he might start a bidding war this up coming off season.
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Posted on: Mon, 12/23/2013 - 3:46pm #858722

jwall1
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He has improved alot, but he is not the answer for Sacramento’s point guard problem. Its good he’s beefing his stats up (in regards to trade value) but the truth is that he plays almost no defense….
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Posted on: Mon, 12/23/2013 - 3:46pm #858613

jwall1
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He has improved alot, but he is not the answer for Sacramento’s point guard problem. Its good he’s beefing his stats up (in regards to trade value) but the truth is that he plays almost no defense….
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- Posted on: Tue, 12/24/2013 - 5:19am #858671
  
  B-ball fan
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  Thomas may not be a great defender, but he is far from the Kings’ biggest problem on that end of the floor (no pun intended). The poor defensive play of the Kings’ frontcourt players, especially Cousins, Thompson, and Patterson/Williams, is a much bigger culprit.
  IT may not be a great defender, but, like Tony Parker, Steve Nash and Stephen Curry, that does not disqualify him from starting. He is a smart defender who plays hard and has the quickness to occasionally trouble ball handlers. He still struggles against picks and better scoring points, but he is hardly an irredeemable liability. Cousins defensive struggles are much more troubling for the Kings, in my opinion, especially since no pgs really are capable of shutting down their opponents.
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- Posted on: Tue, 12/24/2013 - 5:19am #858780
  
  B-ball fan
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  Thomas may not be a great defender, but he is far from the Kings’ biggest problem on that end of the floor (no pun intended). The poor defensive play of the Kings’ frontcourt players, especially Cousins, Thompson, and Patterson/Williams, is a much bigger culprit.
  IT may not be a great defender, but, like Tony Parker, Steve Nash and Stephen Curry, that does not disqualify him from starting. He is a smart defender who plays hard and has the quickness to occasionally trouble ball handlers. He still struggles against picks and better scoring points, but he is hardly an irredeemable liability. Cousins defensive struggles are much more troubling for the Kings, in my opinion, especially since no pgs really are capable of shutting down their opponents.
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Posted on: Mon, 12/23/2013 - 6:05pm #858625

Taylor Gang Mike
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Love his game
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Posted on: Mon, 12/23/2013 - 6:05pm #858734

Taylor Gang Mike
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Love his game
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Posted on: Thu, 12/26/2013 - 9:41am #859151

kaanyrvhok
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Most players are better with more minutes. I saw no reason to expect anything different. He should have started the season as the starter.
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Posted on: Thu, 12/26/2013 - 9:41am #859044

kaanyrvhok
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Most players are better with more minutes. I saw no reason to expect anything different. He should have started the season as the starter.
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