The case to get Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas to the All-Star Game in Toronto is quite a complex one.
It isn’t exactly a question of if Thomas playing at an All-Star level because he is. In fact, he is probably playing well enough that an argument could be made whether Thomas should start in the mid-season classic, let alone even be in it.
The complexities to get Thomas to the All-Star game begin when you take a look at the other Eastern Conference guards fighting for the same spot on the prestigious All-Star roster.
In the third returns of All-Star voting, Thomas is ninth among all Eastern Conference guard with 111,838 votes – even after campaigns from Floyd Mayweather and Snoop Dogg on their respective Twitter accounts to get Thomas to Toronto.
So, it is safe to say that Thomas isn’t going to be voted into the starting line-up for the All-Star game. At the moment it is Dwayne Wade and Kyrie Irving who are the top-two vote getters among East guards, followed by Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, John Wall, DeMar DeRozan, Derrick Rose, Jeremy Lin, Thomas and Reggie Jackson rounding out the top-10.
So if Thomas plans to make the All-Star game, he will need to rely on getting picked by the NBA’s head coaches as an All-Star reserve. He is simply too far behind in the voting to make the top-two, as All-Star voting wraps up in less then a weeks time.
Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let’s actually break down Thomas’ case for being an All-Star in 2016.
Thomas’ per-game numbers are at an All-Star level, as he is just one of six players in the league averaging at least 21 points and six assists per game. The others? LeBron James, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard, all of whom are shoo-ins for the All-Star game.
The 21.6 points per game and 6.7 assists per game that Thomas averages isn’t only impressive among Eastern Conference guards but it is a stat-line that sits among some of the Celtics greatest legends. Thomas is first in scoring among East guards and third in assists among East guards, which says something about his All-Star case.
More impressively though, Thomas is one of only four Celtics to be averaging at least 20 points and six assists per game in the same season. Hall of famers Larry Bird, John Havlicek and Bob Cousy are the other three, you may have heard of them.
Thomas is also pulling down just a hair under three rebounds per game (not bad for someone standing at just 5”9) and 1.3 steals per game. Thomas’ shooting splits stand at 42.1 per cent from the field, 32.9 per cent from the three-point arc and 89 per cent from the free throw line.
Those shooting splits aren’t unbelievable percentages from Thomas but lets put it into perspective. On a Celtics team that is currently deprived of a go-to scoring option, Thomas, who started the year coming off the bench (Thomas undertook a starting role after Marcus Smart got injured and Coach Brad Stevens has indicated Thomas will continue starting), is the man who makes Boston’s offence click.
When Thomas is on the court, the Celtics are scoring 104.1 points per 100 possessions, a number when evened out against every other team over the season, would give Boston the seventh best offence in the league.
That number falls off a cliff when Thomas heads to the bench though, as Boston scores just 93.9 points per 100 possessions without the former Washington Huskie on the court. That offensive rating would place the Celtics 29th in the league, second-last to just the woeful Philadelphia 76ers.
Thomas leads the Celtics in usage rate, with a percentage of 28.7 per cent, which is yet another indication of how much Boston leans on him for their offensive production. While other Celtics such as Jared Sullinger and Even Turner haven’t been able to find their consistency on the offensive end, Thomas has been lifting the load, with an offensive attack full of different dribble moves, pull-ups and drives to the basket.
Despite his 5”9 size, Thomas isn’t afraid to get into the paint and finish among the big-boys. In fact, anyone whose watched Thomas play can attribute to the fact that often times he would rather drive to the basket and finish or get fouled then pull-up for the jump-shot.
“I want to be the best guy to ever play under six feet.” Thomas stated before the start of the season, via Chris Forsberg of ESPN. “That’s a goal of mine and I’m going to try to reach that.”
34.6per cent of Thomas’ points this season have come inside the paint, an area where he ranks just outside the top-10 in terms of scoring in the entire league. That’s right, Thomas is just outside the top-10 in paint scorers despite his size and limitations. 39 per cent of Thomas’ shots are coming from close-range this season and he is making 50 per cent of those shots, a number that is around or just under league average.
Although, Thomas is shooting 89 per cent from the charity stripe this season and he averages 5.6 free throws per game, the highest rate of his career, so his ability to get to the foul line makes up for his average shooting percentage at the basket.
Along with his reliable offensive attack, Thomas can also be a pest on the defensive end.
As aforementioned, Thomas is averaging 1.3 steals per game, which ranks 11th in the entire NBA, tied with a number of players averaging the same amount. Thomas’ small statue allows him to get low on offensive players who are dribbling, an advantage, as offensive players are told to keep the ball low when dribbling to lower the chances of the ball being stolen. When Thomas is the defender though, it only increases the chances of the ball being stolen.
When Thomas is the primary defender, opponents are shooting 42.7 per cent, which isn’t a huge difference from their season average, as that number is 0.7 per cent less then the season average. Not a huge discrepancy, but one in Thomas’ favour nonetheless.
Although, if there is a number that measures how much of a pain Thomas is to play against, it is that fact that he is holding opponents to a shooting percentage of just 24.4 per cent from the three-point line. That is 10.7 per cent less then their season average and it demonstrates how Thomas is able to get into the face of his opponent and disrepute them while out on the perimeter.
A factor working against Thomas making the All-Star game is the Celtics recent slide, which has seen them losing six of their past ten matches, including losses to the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers at home, two of the league’s worst teams. Don’t blame Thomas for the latest skid though, as he is playing as well as he as for the entire season.
Over the past three matches, Thomas has simply been sensational, averaging 32.3 points and 6.3 assists per game, while maintaining a 50/40/90 spilt, as he is shooting 51.7 per cent from the field, 40.9 per cent from the three-point line and 92.9 per cent from the foul line. Thomas has scored 97 points over his last three games, yet another sign of how the 60th overall pick in the 2011 draft has placed Boston’s offence on his back.
Thomas admits it would be an honour to be an All-Star but he understands getting the 20-19 Celtics back on track is more important.
“It’d mean the world [to be an All-Star],” said Thomas, via Forsberg. “I just know if we take care of business as a team and get wins, everything else will take care of itself. Hopefully I make it, but at the same time I’m worried about this team. If we’re successful, the individual success comes.”
As for his peers, they have been just as supportive of Thomas making the All-Star game. “In the games, like we play against somebody and they’ll be like, ‘Man, I hope you make the All-Star team. You’ve been balling,’ ” Thomas explained, via Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “It’s nice to get the recognition and for your peers to see it, so hopefully it happens.”
So, the numbers and the respect from his opposition are all in favour for him making the All-Star game but the Eastern Conference is loaded with guards this season and someone will miss out. Unfortunately and unfairly, Thomas may be the one.
Let’s assume that Wade and Irving maintain their leads atop of the voting and are named All-Star starters. You then have Lowry, Wall and Butler, three guards who are sure-fire All-Stars. Thomas’ best chance would be getting a spot after those five but he would be competing with DeRozan and seeing that he plays for the hometown Raptors, many expect DeRozan to get the nod.
Each yeah there is a number of All-Star snubs and this season, it seems like Thomas will be another one. Whether he makes the team or not though, there is no denying that Thomas is having a season that is worthy of the All-Star mantle.
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