The biggest piece to the Boston Celtics recent success is the smallest player on the team– Isaiah Thomas. Thomas may stand 5’9, but his game is larger than life. Thomas is the modern day Vinnie Johnson who accepts his role as the 6th man without any gripes, but he can fill up the stat sheet in a blink of an eye. Thomas was recently named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week averaging 22.7 points and 5.7 assists.
Like the many trades before him, Danny Ainge pulled another robbery act that should land him behind bars. Ainge has been stockpiling first round draft picks over the past few years and he used one of those to acquire Thomas in a blockbuster trade. Compared to all of the other quality point guards in the NBA, Thomas comes in at a bargain price at $7million dollars per year over the next four years.
Thomas may not be the prototypical point guard a la Chris Paul or Steph Curry, but his impact is just as important on this year’s Celtics team. In a period where Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens were set on rebuilding, they snuck into the playoffs after clinching their bid last night after a loss from the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics may not make much noise in the playoffs, but the future is bright in title town. As of right now, it’s clear on who should win certain awards. The 6th Man of the Year award is always an interesting award, and this year it should have Thomas’ name on it. With season averages of 16.5 points and 4.2 assists make it hard to argue against him since he has helped propel the Celtics into playoff contention. Based on the team’s performance prior to Thomas’ arrival the Celtics were possibly heading back to the lottery to draft the next person for their roster.
Life with Thomas has set the Celtics on a faster track to the success that the Celtics faithful is accustomed to. This is only the beginning of the success of the Celtics. The Celtic faithful need to give a huge high-five to Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens for basically getting Thomas for nothing. The Phoenix Suns made a mistake by acquiring Thomas, and they surrendered him to the Celtics. It may sound cliché, but another man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and Thomas has been that pot of gold that the Celtics have been missing over the past few seasons.
