It's about time somebody says it everyone. The Celtics already have the player to build around. Isaiah Thomas is a top 5 player in the NBA…. In the fourth quarter. Specifically the fourth quarter. And it may be time to stop looking to Sacramento or Indiana and maybe start looking at what the Celtics have at this point. I'm going to put 3 guards on the screen, and you decide which is best.
A: 24.1 pts 4.2 rbs 5.8 assists .466% .399%
B: 23.6 pts 3.5 rbs 5.8 assists .473% .420%
C: 27.0 pts 2.6 rbs 6.2 assists .440% .337%
Player A is Steph Curry, player B is Kyrie, and player C is Isaiah Thomas. Now even if you didn't believe he was the best out of them, it's not like there was much separation. And yet curry is a consensus top 5 player and Kyrie is being labeled as one of the best young players in the NBA, yet IT4 is doing just as good if not better!!!
Now yes he can be a defensive liability because all you have to do is get a switch on him and immediately it's a mismatch. Something special about him though is he puts in more work than necessary because that's who he is. Isaiah loves going to the floor, Isaiah loves bodying up guys who are bigger than him. And yeah, sure, he's a guy who can be mismatched on, but again comparing to Steph Curry, Curry may be one of the weakest players in the NBA. Curry, all he can do is stay In front of someone who gets switched on him, but can't hold his ground at all. but when looking at overall impact on game, what he does far outweighs what he isn't, and same goes with IT4. The amount of times he has kept the Celtics in games is actually incredible. He can go toe to toe with any competition and does. Players such as Jonas Jerebko and Kelly Olynyk would have no purpose on this team if it wasn't for Isaiah’s slashing style, forcing defenders to stay in while he kicks it out. And the amount of missed opportunities on this Celtics team is absurd. Too many open shots missed, too many stupid shots taken. When Isaiah isn't on the floor, there isn't anyone to score, and until he's back on the floor, the offense is stagnant.
Yes, getting Paul George or Boogie would make this team an immediate threat to the NBA, and everybody claims the Celtics are one superstar away. Or maybe they're 3 role players away. A true rebounding center, so Bradley doesn't have to rebound and can stay on his man the whole time. A second scorer, to supplement IT4 when he's off the floor. And most importantly someone to replace Tyler Zeller cause I fricken hate him.
Submitted December 28, 2016 at 12:19AM by JooshBearstein