Kyrie Irving was one of the most isolation-dependent scorers in the NBA last season. Isaiah Thomas was not. Whereas Thomas generated 2.6 points per game on isolation possessions, only five players created a higher percentage of their points in those situations than Irving (21.4 percent).
The difference between Irving and Thomas in that regard will have a tremendous impact on the new-look Celtics. Case in point: Irving scored 412 points in isolation last season compared to 423 points for an entire Celtics team ranked near the bottom of the league in isolation scoring. Irving actually outscored two teams by himself — the Magic (393) and Hornets (292) — in isolation.
For as much as those plays are chastised in today’s space and pace NBA, Irving is in a class of his own in terms of efficiency. He averaged 1.12 points per possession (PPP) in isolation last season, ranking him in the 94.9 percentile. (Irving has been in the 80th percentile or better in all but one season since he was drafted, according to VICE Sports). For perspective, 1.12 PPP was equivalent to Kyle Lowry in the pick-and-roll, John Wall in transition, Dirk Nowitzki spotting-up and Joel Embiid rolling to the basket. Even for a team as isolation-averse as the Celtics, it’s hard to believe they won’t make it a bigger part of their system with Irving now on their roster.
To what degree they make it a part of their system remains to be seen. With Thomas as their starting point guard, the Celtics moved the ball around as much as any other team in the league. For example, Thomas was almost as likely to score off of this sort of free-flowing action…
…as Irving was to score in isolation.
Those plays represent two entirely different systems. One is a byproduct of player and ball movement. The other has a tendency to slow an offense down. It’s why the way in which the Celtics adjust their system to suit Irving’s strengths could determine what they ultimately look like offensively this season.
The possessions in which Thomas did score in isolation looked slightly different to what Irving is used to as well. Even when he did go 1-on-1, there was usually some sort of action elsewhere on the court to distract the defense.
Thomas also frequently used isolations as a last resort following the sort of player movement that presented him with a favorable switch.
Those factors come together in the following possession when Thomas receives a screen from Marcus Smart, sizes up CJ McCollum on the switch and immediately blows by him for a layup. The Celtics don’t necessarily call for an isolation, but Thomas spots an opportunity to attack a weaker defender as the play unfolds. It happens a lot for him in transition, too, when the defense is still backpedaling.
Irving on the other hand is perfectly content biding his time at the point of attack, waiting for everyone to get in their positions before attacking 1-on-1 with a spaced floor. In general, he prefers to put his defender on an island whereas Thomas prefers to take them off guard with his speed.
He does the same here, this time isolating against an elite defender in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with little-to-no player movement around him:
In an ideal world, Irving and the Celtics will meet each other half way. Irving is too good of an isolation scorer for it to not continue being a big part of his game, but he and the Celtics would likely benefit from him doing it slightly less to be more of an off-ball threat — especially when you consider Gordon Hayward and Al Horford are two of the better playmakers at their respective positions.
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It’s not as though Irving is the only player on the roster who can create his own shot, either. Hayward is one of the best pick-and-roll scorers in the NBA. Horford is also a capable scorer when he wants to be and Jayson Tatum will likely bring his score-first mentality off the bench. Irving’s game will have to therefore change at least slightly for the Celtics to achieve the balance they need to reach their offensive potential.
The good news for the Celtics: Irving is more than capable of doing it.