Isaiah Thomas Trade Paying Major Dividends

Robb: Isaiah Thomas Trade Paying Major Dividends
By Brian Robb, CBS Boston
February 24, 2015 1:06 PM





Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Boston Celtics gives a thumbs up to fans before the start of a game on February 23, 2015. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)



BOSTON (CBS) – We are less than a week into the Isaiah Thomas era in Boston and the bandwagon of supporters for the 5-foot-9 point guard is already filling up.

It’s not hard to see why. The 26-year-old got payback against his former team Monday night in Phoenix, scoring nine of his 21 points in the game’s final three minutes to close out an impressive road win for the green.

The performance makes for a good story, especially after the ex-Sun stared down his former teammates toward the end of the contest, but those theatrics are not the reason Celtics fans should be excited about this guy. Instead, it’s the fact he’s bringing the kind of instant offense this team hasn’t had in a very long time.

Normally, it’s the Celtics who are getting burned by players like Thomas. Speedy guards who wreak havoc against a defense, creating constant opportunities for themselves and their teammates. In just two games of action in Boston, it’s clear that Thomas is capable of doing both things quite well.

Here are his per game averages from those two performances: 26 minutes, 21 points, 5 assists, 3 assists, 1.5 steals, 41% FG, 40% 3-pt FG, 7FTA.

The field goal shooting percentage has been a little low, and the turnovers have been an issue at times (4.5 per game thus far), but the rest of what Thomas is doing makes up for those flaws. He’s an elite 3-point shooter and more importantly, he’s already the best weapon to get to the free throw line. That’s something this team has sorely lacked this year (Brandon Bass leads team with 2.7 free throw attempts per game).

Unlike Boston’s former point guard, Thomas is making his freebies, too (87.1 percent for the season) and isn’t afraid to create contact and get to the charity stripe.

Very few players in the NBA have the ability to shoot 3’s well and get to the free throw line with high regularity. Landing a guy for the next three-plus seasons that can do both will be a promising addition to the Celtics’ offensive core.

Thomas has also appeared to fit well within Boston’s rotation. With a duo of above-average defenders to pair him with in Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart, the Celtics have been able to hide his size on smaller players. Thomas isn’t a great defender, but he works hard to get through screens and will improve as he becomes more familiar with the team’s scheme.

The Celtics are getting all this out of a guy that they acquired for just a late first-round pick and Marcus Thornton. Thomas reportedly had some issues with his role in Phoenix’s backcourt, but this trade looks like highway robbery by Danny Ainge after two games.
Score another win for Trader Danny, as the Celtics continue to make positive strides in their rebuild.



bob


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With my affection for the team game, I'm at the head of the line in being cognizant of me-all tendencies.  And, right from the start, I've been intensely sensitive to any such tendencies in Isaiah.  But, so far, he has successfully tread the fine line between assertiveness and iso ball.  No one's perfect, and he may err in the iso direction occasionally; but it's a small pill to swallow in return for the vitality he brings to the health of the Celtics' offense.

All season long, some of us have been salivating for more of an up-tempo game on the part of the Celtics.  But, while Rondo certainly had the skills to fuel a faster pace; but, too often, he declined to use them.  We may see the Mite dribbling where Rondo would pass in some situations.  But I believe the end result will be a more consistent up-tempo effort with Isaiah as the catalyst.  Maybe I just want to believe it, but I already see Thomas' teammates becoming more comfortable with pace than I felt they were before his arrival.

He has already established himself as the most qualified and diversified go-to scorer on the team, and I'm sure that fact has come as a relief to guys like Bradley and Turner.  They may have their go-to moments as time passes, but Isaiah's presence removes a lot of pressure on them to be high-profile go-to guys.

But here's the real kicker.  I've been watching him carefully on defense; and, yes, that is an area of some inconsistency.  But his effort level and his sheer quickness are two assets he can parlay into defensive improvement over time—especially as he learns the Celtics' defensive schemes.

It's obligatory that I say he's not a panacea.  But I believe no single Celtic will ever be a panacea.  The team is the candidate to be a panacea.  And he seems to have greater ability than I had expected to buy into the team process.  He has already displayed a desire to help his teammates succeed; and, although it's impossible to be certain from a distance, it seems to me that he's really enjoying it.

But, when the chips are down, I'm quite certain that no one of the team is more ready to take the big shot.  He may not always make it, but he will always be ready to take it.  And one of the best things about his game is that you'll never see me calling him a one-trick pony.  His versatility translates to unpredictability.  And, if I were to select the one fault that has most routinely plagued the Celtics over this season and last, offensive predictability would be high on my list.

I'm sure I'll be advised not to jump to conclusions too early in the game.  So, to save people the trouble, I'll reveal a little secret about research.  A very wise social researcher has said that research never really proves anything.  It is the consistent inability to disprove something that leads to conclusions that make sense.  That's the process I'm going through with Isaiah and, indeed, with all the Celtics.  At this early juncture, I'm setting up an hypothesis that the Celtics's offense is no less than 25% improved with Thomas as an integral part.  It's not a prediction; it's an hypothesis that's available to be proven or disproven over time.

I look forward to enjoying the process.  So far, I believe Isaiah's influence goes well beyond his personal stats on the offensive end.  And I believe the same is true of Crowder, especially on the defensive end.  Picking up an offensive catalyst and a defensive catalyst in mid-season, for the "price" of players who were not going to be long-term fixtures in Boston, is just luck on Danny's part....right?  Suuuure it is!

Speak of Danny, one of the best things about the Thomas acquisition is that it signifies to me that Danny has turned the corner from collecting assets to beginning to use them.  That should be exciting news for all of us and a source of reassurance for Brad and the team.

Sam

It is only two games into Thomas being a Celtic, but there is no question that he is a large improvement over what was traded to get him. And, that is not to belittle Thornton in any way because Thornton seemed to be a great, team oriented role player in every way. Certainly, such guys are very, very necessary on winning teams who even think that they have a chance in the playoffs. He could be a very welcomed addition in three or four years.

However, as Sam mentions, Thomas has already become the 'go to' guy in late game situations and he may be the first guy who has accepted this role since Paul Pierce was traded. This year's team (and last year's as well) has needed this type of guy all year long. Rondo could have but wouldn't, and no one else really has either the mental or physical capability to handle this role on a nightly basis. Again, referring back to Sam, the team can already be seen as much more fluid and aggressive since Thomas put on #4.