Sacramento Kings End Of Season Report Cards – Isaiah Thomas

Wow, what can be said about the pint said point guard that hasn’t already been the basis of headlines? Isaiah Thomas‘ rookie season was nothing short of spectacular despite the horrifically awful NBA Rookie of the Year voting which placed the former Huskie seventh.

For those outside of Sacramento and non-followers of the Kings, it’s evident that they missed out on a wonderful story – a story that’s clearly more inspiring then that of the much publicized Jeremy Lin novel. That’s not a dig at the current Knickerbocker but more at the media who seemingly tend to forget that Sacramento has a basketball team, something they made beyond clear in their ROY voting.

As a starter, Isaiah Thomas‘ rookie numbers were absolutely fantastic. In his 37 starts (only 31 min a game though), Thomas averaged nearly 15 points a game with 5.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and a steal a game, all while shooting a near 48% and a near 41% from the arc. More then just the wonderful numbers though was Thomas’ poise and maturity on the court. Yes, there were times of blunders, times where he had moments of being overmatched by they were few and far between, especially when compared to the amount of times Thomas looked the part of a long-time NBA vet and team leader in his rookie campaign. Playing point guard in the NBA is difficult enough when you’re in your eight season – doing it as well as Thomas in your rookie year? It’s a special breed – something Steve Nash even took notice of.

While Thomas’ game may have some small flaws, one thing he doesn’t lack is desire – a willpower to be great, a quality so many talented NBA players lack. Isaiah Thomas‘ work ethic is second to none, his ambition to be the NBA’s best point guard unrivaled by most. So many NBA players (and professional athletes in general) talk the talk, but Isaiah Thomas walks it. He may not have the physical gifts of some others nor some of the abilities, but there’s zero doubt he’s going to outwork, outhustle and outplay almost all of them.

For Thomas, the ceiling really is the limit. Everything about IT’s game breeds uniqueness, so while we’ve rarely seen a player of Thomas’ size excel at such a high level, that’s something he thrives on – an eagerness and thirst to prove the doubters wrong, something he’s done throughout his entire basketball career.

Season Grade: A (the only, A)