Isaiah Thomas is the right player at the right time for the Boston Celtics.
Somewhat sneakily, the Celtics entered the trade-deadline field, helping the Phoenix Suns blow up their roster. They basically picked up Thomas for pennies on the dollar, per ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman:
Celtics send Marcus Thornton and Cleveland first for next year for Isaiah Thomas, sources told ESPN.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) February 19, 2015
Marcus Thornton was not part of the Celtics’ future, and the first-round pick will probably wind up being in the bottom seven, if not the bottom five. Thomas is a steal at that price.
Not only is he on a reasonable contract that stands to be valuable as hell in future trade talks, he’s a better fit beside Marcus Smart than Rajon Rondo ever could have been. Thomas can play on or off the ball, as an attack-first point guard or deadly spot-up shooter. He can also come off the bench, serving as a Jamal Crawford-type spark plug.
Which is huge for the Celtics.
Especially now.
The Celtics are just 1.5 games back of the East’s final playoff spot, with 31 left to play. Though the top-six seeds are all sewn up—the Milwaukee Bucks took a risk by trading Brandon Knight in favor of Michael Carter-Williams, but their cushion is such that they should be fine—the race for the final two slots is a lot more interesting.
The Charlotte Hornets now have Mo Williams, the Detroit Pistons snagged Reggie Jackson, the Miami Heat brought in Goran Dragic and the Brooklyn Nets still have some talent (I think.) Any of those teams, plus the Celtics, can now creep into the playoff picture, likely earning a first-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers or Atlanta Hawks.
Can the Celtics be that team?
You bet.
Their chances are still slim, because if Miami stays healthy, there’s really only one spot to go around for Celtics, Pistons, Nets and Hornets. But still, these aren’t the Celtics of years past. They’re a pace-promoting team that ranks in the top half of defensive efficiency, per Basketball-Reference. Their missing ingredient has been extra offense. Though they run like crazy, the Celtics are in the bottom four of points scored per 100 possessions. They needed that semi-efficient scorer who won’t become overly erratic when the pace is being pushed.
Thomas, again, is that guy. The Suns often ran, yet he’s still posting the highest true shooting percentage of his career. Place him within a rotation that already includes Smart, Evan Turner and Avery Bradley, and the Celtics are suddenly beasts on the perimeter. They’ll need to find extra help up front following Jared Sullinger’s injury, but thanks to some deadline-day maneuvering, the Celtics are a scarier offensive team.
That bodes well for their playoff chase, ensuring that, at the very least, this is a pursuit fated to span the length of the regular season, ending not a moment sooner.
