Boston Celtics point guard isaiah thomas is living proof that height is not might in the NBA. Despite his 5-foot-9 ceiling, Thomas showed that even a guy of his height can turn into a superstar in a league dominated by big men. In an interview in ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue," Thomas even boasted that if he were six or seven inches taller, he would be the best player in the world. "If I were 6-3 or 6-5, I'd be the best player in the world. No doubt about it. And that's not just me thinking that; I mean, the world would think that," Thomas told the magazine.
For Thomas, being the smallest guy on the court has its advantages. He remembered the advice given to him by Gary Payton years ago, saying that "the guy that's lowest to the ground usually always wins." He also developed a close relationship with former NBA point guards Muggsy Bogues, Nate Robinson, and Damon Stoudamire, who all excelled despite their height disadvantage. "All of the small guys who played before me and who've played during my time, they've been special in their own way. When you're small, you've got to be special in some way, somehow,” Thomas emphasized.
Thomas shines with Celtics
Last season, Thomas had an MVP-like year with the Celtics, averaging 28.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game as he led Boston to the No.
1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Thomas led the Celtics all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals but he suffered a hip injury that doomed their chances of advancing to the NBA Finals. In the postseason, he averaged 23.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists.
From last pick in 2011 to superstar
Thomas was selected by the Sacramento Kings as the 60th and final pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
In his rookie year, he played 65 games, with 37 starts, averaging 11.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 25.5 minutes of action. Thomas improved his scoring the following year, averaging 13.9 points in 79 games. During the 2013-14 season, Thomas emerged as a scoring threat, increasing his average to 20.3 points.
The Kings traded Thomas to the Phoenix Suns in 2014, where he played just 46 games before he was shipped to the Celtics in a three-team deal that also involved the Detroit Pistons.
In his first full year with the Celtics in 2015, Thomas started 79 games at point guard, averaging 22.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists. He is entering the final year of the four-year, $27 million deal that he signed with the Kings in 2014. He may demand a max contract that could net him $30 million per season.
