National Basketball Association

Boston Celtics Player Profile: Isaiah Thomas

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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A look at what to expect from Isaiah Thomas in 2016-17

It has been a crazy past year for the Boston Celtics, and it all started with the emergence of Isaiah Thomas. At this point last year, Marcus Smart was the opening night starter and still being viewed as the team’s franchise point guard. After an early season injury to Smart, Isaiah Thomas took the opportunity and ran with it.

He proved he was more than just an offensive firecracker off the bench, by being the playmaker the Celtics were missing. He ended up being selected to the All-Star team and cemented himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA. Thomas finished the season playing in all 82 games, starting 79, and contributing 22.2 points, 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Despite being everything and more that the Celtics could have hoped for when trading for him at the deadline in 2014-15, Thomas still struggled in some areas. However, he continued to be the prolific scorer the Celtics expected when trading for him, but he also became a playmaker and floor general not many people envisioned him becoming.

Unlike earlier in his career, Thomas didn’t only look for his shot on offense. He tried to make the right basketball play and eventually became the go-to scorer late in games for the Celtics.

Thomas has a chance to take the next step in his development and make an argument as one of the five best point guards in the NBA. He thrived during his first season as a team’s starter, and at just 27-years-old he still has room to improve.

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Areas to Improve

The easy thing to nitpick Isaiah Thomas on is his defense. Sure, he averaged 1.1 steals per game, however there’s no doubt that his small stature impacted his defensive prowess. At just 5-9 great shooters have the ability to rise over him with ease and feel no contention to their shot. That’s a big hurdle the Celtics faced, and will continue to face, with Isaiah Thomas in the lineup.

It puts more pressure on Avery Bradley, but it’s also brought more attention to Bradley’s amazing defensive efforts. Besides, Thomas isn’t a bad defender, per say, however his height, as much as Boston hates to admit it, makes him a liability on defense late in games.

Thomas does have things that he needs to improve on that he can control, though. For starters, he shot just 42.8 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three. Luckily, the Celtics high tempo offense helped cover up his fairly inefficient shooting last season.

It proved to be harmful in the postseason, though. Thomas shot just 39.5 percent from the field and 28.3 percent from deep during the playoffs. Despite being the only consistent scorer at times for Boston, it was evident that he struggled shooting and forced a lot of bad shots at times.

The Celtics don’t want Thomas to be less aggressive because that’s what makes him a great scorer, but getting off cleaner looks and becoming an improved shooter is important. Other than when Thomas got to the rim, he failed to shoot 40 percent or better at any range. From 3-to-9 feet away, Thomas shot an abysmal 28.9 percent and he wasn’t much better from 10-to-15 feet away, where he only connected on 38.2 percent of his shots.

Boston doesn’t expect Thomas to shoot lights out, however better shot selection at times would definitely help his percentages and, in turn, would give the Celtics an even more explosive offense.

The addition of Al Horford should help, as Thomas won’t need to force as many shots when the Celtics go through bad shooting spells. Horford also adds a pick and roll/pop player with Thomas, meaning creating plays for his teammates will be even easier in 2016-17.

Horford is as close to a swiss army knife on offense as you’ll find. He does just about everything, which should take a huge load off of Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics still haven’t found a for sure solution to their three-point shooting, though.

That once again brings us back to Thomas becoming a more efficient outside scorer, and also setting up his teammates in better positions to knock down threes. With Gerald Green‘s shooting and Horford’s versatile scoring, Thomas will have plenty of options and spacing to make plays this season.

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What to Expect in 2016-17

Following a breakout season that included an All-Star appearance, the biggest thing for Isaiah Thomas is to not regress. He needs to continue being a team player and use the Celtics’ acquisitions this offseason to his advantage. Thomas has never been known as a selfish player, and continuing that style of play will help the Celtics and himself get better.

Thomas finished 11th in points per game last season, but moving up to the top-10 may not be an option for Thomas this year. He has the high tempo offense that allowed him to get off 16.9 shots per game, and Brad Stevens has given Thomas the green light to be as aggressive as he needs to be on offense. Although, Al Horford will immediately be a big part of the offense.

The Celtics have tried to land Horford since the deadline last year, and signing him this offseason is arguably the biggest free agent signing of their franchise’s history. With his capability to score from anywhere on the floor, and being a great passing center, the offense will run through him at times.

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Boston did lose Evan Turner though, meaning even more ball-handling responsibility will be put on Isaiah Thomas and second-year player Terry Rozier. After an impressive summer league Rozier should have a significant role this year, however that doesn’t mean he’ll be trusted to run the point right away. Turner’s ball-handling role developed over time, and eventually started to cut into Thomas’ role as the main ball-handler.

Thomas can be an effective off-the-ball player, but he thrives the most when he has the ball in his hands. While his scoring may decrease some due to Al Horford and the development of Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and several bench players, his shooting percentages and assists numbers should go up.

Thomas won’t have to force shots with a better shooting team, and it’ll let him focus more on being a distributor. He has already proved to be a willing and effective passer, but continuing to grow in that area will be important. Horford gives the Celtics another reliable scoring option and Bradley and Crowder should be improved three-point shooters, as well.

When it comes down to it, Isaiah Thomas is still the best player on the team and the offense will continue to run through him. He’s a leader and there’s a good chance that he makes his second All-Star team in 2016-17. At the same time, the Celtics no longer only have to rely on Thomas. They have other options, something that is new for Brad Stevens in the NBA.

He may not put up the same gaudy scoring numbers that he did last season, but when the Celtics need a basket late in games they’ll continue to turn to Isaiah Thomas. His role as a playmaker will be even more important, as there’s an outside chance that he approaches averaging a double-double in his second year as a full-time starter.

This is Isaiah Thomas’ team, there’s no denying that.

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