Can the Phoenix Suns Isaiah Thomas Win the Sixth Man of the Year Award?
Should Isaiah Thomas be the NBA‘s Sixth Man of the Year?
Boston Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley is a childhood friend and one of Isaiah Thomas’ biggest fans.
Alexander Iriarte drafted Thomas in the sixth round of his company’s fantasy basketball draft because he needed more scoring on his roster.
Floyd “Money” Mayweather has even sat courtside and verbally sparred with the lightning quick point guard Thomas, but Mayweather loves watching his games.
Robinson, Iriarte, and Mayweather are all among the growing number of fans in the Isaiah Thomas fan club, and for good reason.
Thomas has surprised everyone with how well he has adjusted to his new role with the Phoenix Suns and is now one of the leading candidates to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Can Thomas win the Sixth Man of the Year Award and become the shortest player in league history to do so?
It’s not a surprise that Thomas’ fan base is growing rapidly, he’s finally playing on a winning team and one that plays exactly to his skill set.
That’s been my mindset from Day 1, since I was a little boy. I mean, everybody wants to be a starter. I’d be lying to you if I said it doesn’t bother me that I don’t start, but I’m going to do what’s best for this team and continue to work.
Last year playing for the Sacramento Kings, Thomas quietly had one of the best seasons by a point guard in the league but no one took notice.
Thomas dropped 30 points in several games and because of his scoring binges it led Thomas to average 20.3 points and 6.3 assists per game. Now playing for the Suns, Thomas’ role has shifted from a starting point guard to the sixth man and the transition has been flawless.
The Phoenix Suns have an offensive philosophy from head coach Jeff Hornacek that he adopted from Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan. Their offense uses a free-flowing system that uses a lot of spacing, pick and rolls and up-tempo speed. The style of play that Hornacek uses with the Suns and the game of Thomas fit together like an audio jack into a stereo system. Thomas game, which is cleaner than a new pair of retro Jordan’s, makes sweet music every time he steps on the court at US Airways Center.
Because of his height (5-foot-9), Thomas uses the pick and roll at his disposal and his opponents get punished. With his quickness Thomas comes off the screen and uses his favorite move, the hesitation dribble, to get open shots at the rim or jumpshots in the mid-range. Because of Thomas’ ability to get to the rim he is a nuisance for his opponents. Currently, Thomas shoots 5.6 free throws a game.
Even though Thomas has absolutely destroyed his competition coming off the bench (he’s had five 20 point games already) he knows in his heart that he could start but wants to finally serve a greater purpose by having an important role on a winning team.
In an interview with Sam Amick of the USA Today Thomas said this:
"We had meetings (recently) with the coaches and the general manager, and they even said, ‘On 29 other teams, you’d probably be starting…..That’s been my mindset from Day One, since I was a little boy. I mean, everybody wants to be a starter. I’d be lying to you if I said it doesn’t bother me that I don’t start, but I’m going to do what’s best for this team and continue to work."
His role is perfect for the Suns because he brings another dimension to their team. Because of his game the Suns at times even run a three point guard set and kill their opponents with quickness and the fast break.
How’s this for instant offense?
In the last decade the Sixth Man of the Year award has been awarded to players who all played more than 30 minutes a game. The last person to win the award without playing that much time was Ben Gordon, and he averaged 15.1 points per game. This season Thomas is playing less minutes than Gordon and is averaging more points, assists, and has a better shooting percentage. More importantly Thomas is playing on a winning team which only helps bolster his chances of winning the prestigious award.
| Per Game | Shooting | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Lg | Player | Age | Tm | G | MP | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | FG% | 3P% | FT% |
| 2013-14 | NBA | Jamal Crawford | 33 | LAC | 69 | 30.3 | 18.6 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 0.9 | .416 | .361 | .866 |
| 2012-13 | NBA | J.R. Smith | 27 | NYK | 80 | 33.5 | 18.1 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | .422 | .356 | .762 |
| 2011-12 | NBA | James Harden | 22 | OKC | 62 | 31.4 | 16.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 1.0 | .491 | .390 | .846 |
| 2010-11 | NBA | Lamar Odom | 31 | LAL | 82 | 32.2 | 14.4 | 8.7 | 3.0 | 0.6 | .530 | .382 | .675 |
| 2009-10 | NBA | Jamal Crawford | 29 | ATL | 79 | 31.1 | 18.0 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 0.8 | .449 | .382 | .857 |
| 2008-09 | NBA | Jason Terry | 31 | DAL | 74 | 33.7 | 19.6 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 1.3 | .463 | .366 | .880 |
| 2007-08 | NBA | Manu Ginobili | 30 | SAS | 74 | 31.1 | 19.5 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 1.5 | .460 | .401 | .860 |
| 2006-07 | NBA | Leandro Barbosa | 24 | PHO | 80 | 32.7 | 18.1 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 1.2 | .476 | .434 | .845 |
| 2005-06 | NBA | Mike Miller | 25 | MEM | 74 | 30.6 | 13.7 | 5.4 | 2.7 | 0.7 | .466 | .407 | .800 |
| 2004-05 | NBA | Ben Gordon | 21 | CHI | 82 | 24.4 | 15.1 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 0.6 | .411 | .405 | .863 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
This Suns team found a gem because of Hornacek’s system. Hopefully the NBA won’t hesitate to give Thomas his rightfully deserved award.
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