NBA Free Agency: Signings of our dreams
#TeamIsaiah
by Derek James (@DerekJamesNBA)
If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know by now that I’m a fan of Sacramento Kings free agent Isaiah Thomas. Now, if you’ve followed me a long time, you know that I’ve been a fan of his since his days at the University of Washington. Typically players who have a unique physical trait wind up being gimmicky or become a novelty of sorts to the average fan, but not Thomas. You could tell there was something there with Thomas despite his height, um, disadvantage. There was a feel for the game that you cannot teach, and learning more about him, he also had a devout work ethic off-court.
Sure, he wasn’t going to tower over you, but that mattered little when he was faster and stronger than you.
Well, NBA teams felt differently, and Thomas was taken with the last pick of the 2011 draft. 60th overall, the NBA’s Mr. Irrelevant, if you would. Thomas would have to set out to prove to the league that he deserved to not only be on the opening night roster, but also that he belonged– two things which are no small feats for a second round pick.
Despite his incremental annual improvement, Thomas had to convince to his own team, the Kings, that he belonged. Players like Aaron Brooks and Greivis Vasquez were brought in to challenge Isaiah, but both Brooks and Vasquez found themselves out of Sacramento while Thomas rose to the top time and time again.
The 2014 season confirmed that Thomas belonged in this league, and most everyone took notice. His averages of 20.3 ppg, 6.3 apg and 2.9 rpg were impressive, but there was more to the picture. Thomas used a whopping 26.3 percent of Sacramento’s possessions last season, but only managed a slightly-above-average turnover rate of 14.3 while accounting for 32.2 percent of the team’s assists.
Thomas has not only matched his production of his junior season of college, but built upon that foundation. He is a knockdown shooter from anywhere within the arc, and is an average shooter from beyond the arc at worst. Perhaps most impressively, and I’m sure something that concerned 29 other teams before the 2011 draft, has been his ability to continue to make plays for others over larger defenders. Sure, he may never physically be able to become an elite defender, but he’s intelligent and will never make you question his effort.
In order to reach Thomas’ status from his starting position, you have to be a special kind of person. You have to have that confidence to know who you are and a willingness to approach any barrier to success with a positive attitude. Ultimately, you have to be able to not worry about the things that you can’t control, and focus on the things that you can. Thomas may not be able to change his height, but he can control how he makes up for it in other areas.
What does this mean for Thomas’ free agency? Well, not much other than that he should be rewarded for his success in the NBA to this point. All along the way Thomas has worked on earning everything that he has received so far, and his next contract should be no different. He should receive a raise far greater than his $884K salary last season and a clear role since he’s proven that he’s capable of playing strong basketball for 35 minutes per game. For instance, a role of uneven minutes behind, say, Rajon Rondo in Boston is not ideal for a guy who has started 70 percent of his career games.
Don’t mistake this for an underdog. Given the way that Thomas has worked to better himself on and off of the court to consistently prove himself, this is a success story. Sure, you could say that overcoming long odds and an unenviable situation qualifies you as an underdog; but if you’ve followed Thomas long enough, you’re not as surprised his success as you are happy that he was given the opportunity to showcase his abilities.
As for #TeamIsaiah, we knew he had it in him all along.