No one expected Isaiah Thomas to be this good in his NBA playing career.
That’s probably what everyone thought. In fact, they probably never even heard of him when his named was called by Adam Silver in the 2012 NBA Draft, where Isaiah Thomas fell to the Sacramento Kings with the 60th overall pick.
Players selected this late in the draft don’t usually do much in the NBA. Isaiah Thomas was the last pick in this draft and was shorter than almost all of the players in the NBA. Isaiah Thomas is a 5’9 guard, which is below average NBA height. Being the last pick of his draft combined with his height probably had people counting him out of the NBA before he even stepped foot on the hardwood.
Now averaging close to 30 points a game, Isaiah Thomas is proving to everyone that heart is greater than height.
Being the last pick of his draft, Thomas really didn’t really have much expectations. He still, however, produced a solid rookie season averaging close to 12 points per game and around 4 assists per game. People were starting to turn heads, but not just yet. He started to increase his scoring output, eventually hitting 20 points a game for the Kings. People were convinced that he was a solid basketball player, but not much saw the All-Star potential that the former Huskie has. He then left for Phoenix, where he was eventually traded to the Boston Celtics.
What seemed to be an obscure move at the time turned out to be one great deal for the Celtics.
In a league where height pretty much matters, Isaiah Thomas became an exception. His 5’9 frame may seem like nothing to players and to the fan, but Isaiah Thomas has transformed himself into one of the league’s best scorers. His ability to shoot from the perimeter is impressive by itself, but the way he drives to the bucket against defenders that are more than a foot taller than him is the most amazing thing about his game. Thomas is unphased by the bigger defenders, constantly going at them at the rim as if he was 6’9 himself. His determination to get to the rim and his elite perimeter shooting has led him to become a top 3 scorer in the NBA.
His efficiency is remarkable too.
He is currently averaging close to 47% on field goal attempts, nearly 40% on three-point attempts and around 90% on his FTs. Those numbers along with that efficiency are pretty close to what 2-time MVP Stephen Curry has done with the Golden State Warriors.
With his strong play to start this season, it is pretty surprising that IT was not named an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference Team. Regardless, the fact that he is an All-Star and an MVP candidate all while being the last pick of his draft and being 5’9 is already impressive.
Isaiah Thomas is proof that it isn’t how you start. His average, non-NBA height of 5’9 also proved that heart is always over height.
*Featured photo credits: Getty Images*
