Isaiah Thomas Thread (Not Bad Boy's Zeke)

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[table][tr][td] Tacoma, WA - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 [/td] [td]< Back to Regular Story Page [/td] [/tr][/table]
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Thomas satisfies ACT, ready to join Huskies

DON RUIZ; don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com
Last updated: May 4th, 2008 01:25 AM (PDT)
Former Curtis High basketball star Isaiah Thomas has earned a qualifying score on his ACT test, clearing the way for him to begin his career as a Washington Husky in the 2008-09 season.
"I feel so good," Thomas said Saturday. "This is the best I've felt in a long time. This was the biggest relief, getting this off my shoulders. Now I can just finish the school year strong."

Thomas got word about his ACT score last week, and when he graduates from South Kent School in Connecticut on May 31, he can turn his full attention to college.

That moment seemed a long way off in 2006 when Thomas and his family decided that he would leave Curtis and try to improve his game and his grades on the East Coast.

"It took a long time, but it was well worth it," said Keith Thomas of Tacoma, Isaiah's father. "It's like losing your kid at one time and then gaining him back in the end. He learned, and I think he learned what he needed to. In fact, I know he did.

"I just see the maturity from when he left to now. He's ready for the next level. (Fans) will see that. He's matured more than I've ever seen: mentally, physically on the basketball court, he's grown as a basketball player."

Thomas averaged 31.2 points per game during his final season at Curtis, including two 50-point games. He left holding nine Washington state tournament records, including most points in a game (51), most points in a tournament (162) and highest scoring average (40.5).

He continued to score in bunches at South Kent, averaging about 32 points per game against a lot of college-bound competition, but also worked on other aspects of his game.

"I'm a better player, a more mature player," he said. "They said I couldn't play defense or whatnot, but I'm playing it now. I'll just be ready to put on a show when I get to the UW."

Thomas is part of an incoming freshman class that also features guards Scott Suggs of Missouri, Elston Turner Jr. of Texas and power forward Tyreese Breshers of Los Angeles.

Suggs capped his season by being named Mr. Show-Me State Basketball - in effect, state player of the year.

That highly ranked class will join a UW team that returns three of its top four scorers from last season, when the Huskies went 16-17 and missed the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season.

Thomas said he and sophomore Venoy Overton - the Huskies' starting point guard last season - can fit comfortably in the same backcourt.

"I think we're going to do tremendously well," Thomas said. "Me and him are going to try to bring back the days like (Nate Robinson, Will Conroy, Brandon Roy) and all of them. We're going to try to get back at it."

Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808

More from Thomas and his father:

blogs.thenewstribune.com/uwsports

Originally published: May 4th, 2008 01:25 AM (PDT)
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nice, but will the boy be able to implode a nba franchise 30 yrs from now, on his own, though?
 
i like the way he plays from what i saw in the vid. he's got some smooth handles (pause).
 
Saw this dude drop 35 and 40 against very good competition (New England Prep Basketball FTW). The numerous times i saw him play i saw flashes of Iverson withhis crossover and attitude. Kids gonna be a force in the Pac-10
 
I wouldnt call his attitude a problem...but he definitely has a chip on his shoulder, im sure it wont be an issue when he hits college....but this kid is thetruth..trust me
 
http://thepaintedarea.blo...le-derozan-holiday-i.html



Isaiah Thomas, Washington (5-8/170): DeRozan and Holiday came into the season as the most highly-regarded freshmen in the Pac-10, but 5-8 Isaiah Thomas has easily been more productive.

Here are some season numbers:
- DeRozan: 31 min, 12.4 pts, 5.1 reb, 52% FG
- Holiday: 27 min, 9.9 pts, 4.0 reb, 3.2 ast, 1.5 stl, 50% FG
- Thomas: 28 min, 16.7 pts, 2.9 reb, 2.9 ast, 1.1 stl, 42% FG

Thomas has been especially impressive in Pac-10 play, averaging 19.2 pts, 3.0 reb, 2.7 ast, and perhaps most notably, 8 free-throw attempts per game - a remarkable number for a 5-8 player. (By contrast, DeRozan averages about 3.5 FTA on the season, and Holiday is around 2 FTA.)

Beyond being an exciting player to watch, Thomas is the kind of guy who's fascinating and kind of fun to project in terms of whether he can succeed in the league - he is so unorthodox and has such distinct pros and cons.

Not a terribly consistent shooter (just .312 3PT), Thomas does most of his damage in the lane - he is extremely quick with the ball and has a great bounce which helps make him quite adept at getting his shot off, and also drawing contact, inside.

Thomas' two-game stretch against the SoCal schools was especially impressive. USC has several long athletic bigs who really showed why rugged UW big man Jon Brockman will struggle at the next level - he can't get his shot off against NBA-type bigs. But it was no problem for Thomas, who was unfazed amidst the trees inside - he got to the line 14 times in the game, scoring 17 points on 4-10 FG.

Meanwhile, the main challenge vs. UCLA was beating the excellent perimeter defense. As mentioned, Thomas and friends (Dentmon, Venoy Overton) torched the Bruins guards. Isaiah lit up Collison especially, scoring 24 points while getting to the line 12 times. Good defensive USC bigs, good defensive UCLA guards, didn't matter - I.T. proved he could get to the basket (and the line) at will and score on both.

Rivals had a story in which UW coach Lorenzo Romar compared I.T. to Damon Stoudamire:
When Washington coach Lorenzo Romar ran into former Arizona guard Damon Stoudamire in Hawaii a couple of summers ago, he decided to let him in on a little secret.

But the word apparently already was out on Isaiah Thomas.

"Damon, I've got to tell you something," Romar said. "We've got a guy coming in."

"From Tacoma?" Stoudamire asked.

"Yeah," Romar replied.

"Isaiah Thomas?" Stoudamire asked.

"Yeah," Romar replied again.

"You're going to tell me he reminds you of me," Stoudamire said. "You don't know how many people have told me that."

...

"Damon shot more from the outside than Isaiah does and Isaiah probably penetrates more, but if you ask me who he reminds me of, I would say that would be the closest guy - Damon Stoudamire," Romar said.
I think that the comparison is valid to a certain extent - both of the sub-6' lefties have a strong ability to score in the lane (and also rebound well for their size), but I do believe that Stoudamire was both a much better outside shooter and a much better point guard in terms of running a team.

Basketball Reference has Stoudamire's college stats. It's hard to compare freshman numbers both because Damon played only 18 minutes per game and because the overall talent level/competition in college basketball was so much higher then. For his college career, Stoudamire averaged 40% from three and 5.4 assists per game, including highs of .465 and 7.3 in the categories as a senior.

Thomas has a long way to go in both areas if he is to become a top NBA prospect. Right now, he is not even really a point guard, as he has poor court vision. He missed open players multiple times in the games I attended, and had just 1 assist, against 5 TOs, in the two games combined.

Still, I think I.T. has a good chance to stick in the league someday in a role like other small men such as Nate Robinson, Spud Webb, Earl Boykins (different types of players, granted) - as a guy who can provide a spark and instant offense off the bench.

I just increasingly believe that Isaiah Thomas can get to the basket and score on anybody, and I do believe he has the hyper-athleticism of a Robinson or a Spud, which is important for those guys in the league - watch this for proof:
I just wanna see little dude dunk on people in a game.

In any event, it's a pretty impressive rise for a guy who did not crack the Top 61 freshman prospects on Draft Express as of Dec. 24. I.T. has clearly outplayed the many Pac-10 freshmen ahead of him on the list at the college level, and he has to at least be on the NBA radar now, even if he still has a lot to prove as a pro prospect. (For the record, I certainly do not expect Thomas to make himself eligible for the draft this season.)
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Played on my brothers AAU team from 5th-8th grade.

Kid could flat out score.

What a lineup they would bring.


Thomas
Kyle Singler
Kevin Love

beating teams by 100 and %%$*
 
Thomas is killin' it so far this year. Makes Washington a much more dynamic and formidable team. I'm excited to see how far they can push this. UW isdefinitely on its way back up since the glory days of Nate and Roy.
 
CANT STOP I.T.

If UW basketball wasnt ne good this year i wouldve gone crazy without an NBA team to watch.

UW Huskies saving basketball in Seattle
 
#9 Isaiah Thomas, 5-8, Sophomore, PG/SG, Washington

Matthew Kamalsky

Thomas would rank considerably higher on this list if he were a few inches taller; nonetheless, the Tacoma native has earned some buzz after a simply outstanding freshman campaign for the Huskies. Displaying a knack for getting in the lane, but lacking a degree of consistency as a shooter, Thomas was his team's most dynamic player, leading Washington in scoring at 15.5 points per-game en route to Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors. Not held back by his size at the college level, Thomas will be the clear-cut leader for Lorenzo Romar's troops with the departure of Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon to graduation. With additional shots opening up, Thomas will be a player to watch as he builds his draft resume and carries his team.

Wearing the same number that Nate Robinson did when he terrorized Pac-10 defenders, it is hard not to see the similarities between the two players. Both diminutive scoring guards with tremendous quickness, Robinson and Thomas share a common physical profile, though Thomas is a bit heavier than Robinson and not as explosive a leaper. While that's a simple comparison to make, the eerie similarity between the pair's numbers gives it a lot more weight. Considering Thomas was living up to Robinson's as a legacy says a lot about what he brought to the table last season.

Using roughly 17 possessions per-game according to Synergy Sports Technology, Thomas assumed a considerable offensive load from the day he stepped on campus. Functioning as both a point guard and shooting guard for stretches, the lefty showed the ability to score from the inside and outside alike.

When playing off the ball, Thomas proved capable of hitting spot-up shots with decent consistency, showing good elevation and a quick release on his jumper, though he's a bit streaky at times, and doesn't always finish his follow-through when he has a hand in his face. Though Thomas's size hurt his ability to hit shots with a hand in his face, his low three point percentage (29.1%) reflects a general lack of consistency that he'll need to work on moving forward. The same can be said for his free throw percentage (68.1%), which is highly improvable as well.

One thing that scouts won't be questioning is what Thomas can do when he puts the ball on the floor. Displaying an absolutely outstanding first-step, excellent speed in transition, and a knack for creating space to get off his shot from inside of 15-feet, Thomas doesn't show great consistency with his pull-up, but uses a nice array of floaters, show-and-go's, and up-and-unders to score in the lane. Especially shifty around the basket, Thomas proves capable as a finisher despite his size, though he gets his shot blocked pretty frequently, he's able to use his quickness and the ability to finish acrobatically to get the job done amongst the trees. Fearless when he goes to the rim, Thomas forces some looks over defenders, but gets to the line at a tremendous rate as well, ranking amongst the top-20 players in our database in free-throw attempts per-40 minutes at 8.3 attempts.

When he isn't looking to score, Thomas displays some point guard ability. Though he's a natural scorer, looking for his shot when he penetrates or operates on the pick and roll, he's able to handle the ball under pressure, but his passing still leaves a lot to be desired. Not likely to be mistaken for a distributor, Thomas shows decent court vision when he doesn't have tunnel vision to the rim, and will need to improve his drive and dish ability to take full advantage of his quickness and passing.

Defensively, Thomas is limited in the same ways that most players his size are. His lack of length hurts his ability to force turnovers at the rate his quickness and anticipation would allow, and while he's able to deny penetration, he can't provide much resistance when his man looks to shoot. Not able to deter many spot up attempts with his size, Thomas needs to focus on his defensive stance and not get caught staring at the ball as he tends to. He may never be much of a defender, but he'll have the opportunity to make some improvements over time.

In terms of his NBA potential, Thomas will have a lot of questions to answer. Nate Robinson's leaping ability was a driver behind his success, and while Thomas shares his speed, it will be tough for his to transition his mid-to-short-range scoring to the next level. In order to compensate for that, Thomas needs to improve the consistency of his outside shot and point guard skills considerably, otherwise he'll have to fight the perceptions about combo guards his height. Regardless of how he develops, Thomas is an exciting player to watch, and one worth keeping an eye on.
http://www.draftexpress.c...c-10-Part-Two-6-10--3316

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I'd love to see both Huskies (UW and UConn) backcourts go at each other. Can we get '99 Sweet 16 vol. 2?
 
^ c'mon, you know kemba would work this dude out.

not taking anything away from him though.
 
Finally, a bump of yours that I can finally appreciate!
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