Isaiah Thomas carries grudges like Rob Gronkowski carries defensive backs after the catch. But as the 27-year-old undisputed offensive leader of a team almost unanimously expected to win more than 50 games, one might think he’d be comfortable with where his game is. One might assume that, having made his first All Star team, that he might feel verified as an NBA star… maybe he’d even get one of those little blue Twitter check marks on the name plate above his locker.
But one would definitely be wrong, because Isaiah Thomas isn’t satisfied about where he is. In a conversation with Alex Kennedy of BasketballInsiders, Thomas said he’s well aware of his weaknesses, and he’s determined to fix them.
“I’ve been working on extending my range. I’m doing a lot of off-the-dribble threes just because that’s something I shot a lower percentage on and that’s something that I do a lot, where I got the ball in my hands and I’m dribbling and I need to be able to shoot better off of the dribble. I’m pretty good at catch-and-shoot and spot-ups and stuff like that. My main focus this year was extending my range, getting a quicker release on my jump shot and being able to pull-up from anywhere. When the defense has their hands down, I want to be shot-ready at all times. That was my main focus and then also just getting better at everything else. Getting better with my right hand, whether that’s finishing around the rim – different types of finishes – or right-hand passes off of the pick-and-roll. I just tried to continue to get better and also to continue to work on my one-legged shot. I pulled that out a lot of more and improved it. I’m supposed to be having a conversation with Steve Nash in a few days and just pick his brain about his one-foot shots that he used to do when he played.”
Welcome to the modern NBA, where 24 footers aren’t good enough anymore. The real threats can pull up from 28-30 feet nowadays, so don’t be surprised when Isaiah starts pulling up from the hashmarks when the preseason comes around in a few weeks. It also seems the league is looking at Steph Curry’s quick release and trying to mimic that as well, so it’ll be interesting to see how Thomas’ jumper looks this year and if any of that is incorporated.
I think Isaiah is going to see some improvements to his game just by having Al Horford around. Horford is better at setting and reading picks, and will make better decisions while finishing with greater accuracy when playing pick-and-roll with Thomas. Add floor spacing to the lineup and Thomas will get clearer paths to the rim, which should lead to more finishes and more free throws. If Isaiah can improve his right hand and finish on that side of the rim more often, then we could be looking at a greater offensive improvement than we thought.
That might not make for a dramatic change in his scoring, but it could make him more efficient so he can still get to 22-25 points a night on fewer shots. With Horford and (I assume) Kelly Olynyk in the starting lineup, a more efficient Thomas would free up more shots for those two.
However it works out, just know that Isaiah’s not comfortable standing pat. He’s still working on his game… still trying to prove people wrong.
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