Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Isaiah Thomas was hit with some digits as he left Celtics practice yesterday.

He was told his recent per-36-minute scoring average (28.1 since joining the team) is up there with Russell Westbrook. And since the All-Star break, which also coincides with his trade to the Celtics, Thomas is third in the NBA in points per 48 minutes, his 37.5 trailing only Westbrook (46.7) and LeBron James (38.2).

“Numbers don’t lie,” said the 5-foot-9 point guard, whose scoring ability is rivaled only by his confidence — and that’s obviously not a coincidence.

“When given the opportunity, I just try to take advantage of it. No matter if I’m playing 20 minutes or 40 minutes, I just want to go out there and leave it on the floor. And numbers don’t lie. Those are pretty high numbers.”

Herald: Isaiah Thomas makes points to join elite

Thomas’ numbers are really impressive since joining the Celtics. 8 games is a small sample size, and I’m SURE Thomas will have a bad game at SOME point, but for now, it’s pretty impressive.

Of course, we have to look at the Per-36, Per-48, Per-100 possession, and advanced numbers to really get a feel for his overall impact because he’s only been playing 27 minutes a game for Boston.

One thing that stands out is that Thomas is getting to the rim a lot more in Boston than he has elsewhere. We see how aggressive he is on the court, and it stands out to us because we haven’t seen that kind of aggression towards the hoop in a while. But Thomas is really ratcheting up the attack as a Celtic.

35% of his shots are coming within 3 feet of the rim. That number is 10% higher than any other year in his career. And in Boston, he’s morphing his game to fit more the “3 or layups” style of play that defines today’s NBA.  45% of his shots are coming from deep, which is also easily a career high, which means Thomas is ditching the mid-range and playing what many would call a very efficient game right now.  He’s either pulling up from deep or attacking, while mixing in just enough mid-to-long 2’s to keep defenses honest in the pick and roll.

Interestingly, his overall 2-point and 3-point shooting percentages are down a little in Boston (47% from 2. 35% from 3 in Boston vs 48.9% and 36.5% career averages). But in today’s NBA, it’s said that it’s better to be slightly inefficient from an efficient area of the floor than efficient from an inefficient part of the floor.  Isaiah Thomas’ 3 point shooting percentage is down a little in Boston, but he’s scoring 7.2 points per game from deep right now versus a career average of 4.8 points per game from 3. The drop in his percentage is minuscule. His production is way up (take note, Avery “long-2” Bradley).

And if you take his free throws into account, which True Shooting percentage does, his overall shooting is actually up (58.1% vs. 57.5%). Thomas is taking 7 free throws a game for the Celtics, 3 more than his career average, and he’s shooting 87.5% from the line, better than all but his sophomore year in Sacramento.

Should it be shocking that an analytics-friendly team like Boston is using Isaiah Thomas in an ideal way? Probably not. Thomas is happy to do the things to fit the evolving NBA game. The Celtics are allowing Thomas to play in space, read defenses, and attack how he sees fit.

Beyond the Westbrook-like numbers… Beyond the fourth-quarter heroics… Isaiah Thomas is evolving his game in Boston. The next step is to see if these numbers hold should he start getting more minutes.

Related links: MassLive: Thomas: I like being the guy  |  CSNNE: Thomas fits in with Celtics by carrying them

Page 2: Kelly Olynyk’s presence demands attention

“He was really good in a lot of areas but couldn’t buy a shot,” said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. “But that’s the last thing I’m concerned with. I was more worried about him doing the right things defensively, more worried about him being in the right place offensively giving us a guy they would guard whether he made it or not.”

The Pelicans were indeed concerned about Olynyk’s perimeter game, evident by them closing out hard when he had the ball. To Olynyk’s credit, he did a nice job of knowing when to put the ball on the floor and when to pull up for a jumper which kept the Pelicans defense off balance.

“It’s a big deal,” Stevens said. “That happened with Jae (Crowder), big moment in the third quarter. They ran at Kelly; Kelly put it on the floor and hit Jae. His (Olynyk’s) presence out there demands attention.”

CSNNE: Stevens: Olynyk’s presence demands attention

Olynyk is still struggling from the floor, but as long as he’s aggressive and doing the right things, the actual shots falling will take care of themselves. The big thing for Olynyk is to be a threat. The threat of something is as dangerous as the thing actually happening.

But you can only rob the convenience store with the finger in the pocket so many times before they don’t believe you have a gun. Eventually, you’ll need to be a weapon on the floor to keep up the “threat” part. Again, I’m not worried about that happening for Olynyk because he’s go the skills to regain the touch.

And Finally….

If you are one of the Celtics fans looking for more evidence that Kevin Love isn’t happy in Cleveland… I present to you this:

Atlanta turned Love strictly into a stretch-four. In the 35 minutes he played, the Hawks never saw the back of his jersey, only the front. Not a single post-up opportunity was available for the three-time All-Star power forward who is one of the most versatile players in the league.

But Atlanta doesn’t get all the credit for altering Love’s game. He has been venturing out further and further as of late.

Love is launching 8.1 threes per contest in his last seven games. His highest rate of threes taken in Minnesota was 6.6 last year, and that was along with the inside touches he received. No matter what the statistics suggest, Love is not in agreement on the big-man long distance tag.

“I heard some people calling me that but I know I’m not a stretch-four,” Love told NEOMG. “I’m a post player who can shoot. Right now I’m just doing what I’m called to do. For good, bad or indifferent, I’m playing my role and doing what’s asked of me. Tonight, I stayed out on the perimeter.”

Cleveland is just not using Kevin Love the right way, and it’s showing. His offensive numbers are down across the board. He’s trying to be the good soldier and do what is asked of him, but he’s clearly not enjoying his time there.

Just something to watch.

The rest of the links:

Herald: Ainge a believer Ray Allen still got game  |  Globe: Celtics players taken to school for a day  |  Jeffrey Taylor plans to make most of second chance  |  CSNNE: Inside the film room: transition defense  |  Celtics inspire: promoting health and fitness  |  Ask Scal: Photo edition  |  One on one with Brad Stevens: “don’t turn the ball over”  |  Jerebko’s move from Pistons timed just right  |  ESPN Boston: Jerebko has been one Swede pickup for C’s