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Isaiah Thomas' ball-controlling ways are not for every NBA system, and that has been proven twice after relatively short stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers, in which he's had to play a slightly different role.
ESPN's Jeff Goodman argued that Thomas' constant ball magnet played a part in other Celtics not liking to play alongside him.
“The hip injury, combined with the questions people have on Isaiah Thomas – does he work for everybody?” asked Goodman in an appearance in the Good N’ Plenty podcast on CLNS Media. “He needs the ball in his hands a lot. He had it in Boston. He wasn’t going to get that everywhere else.”
“Because, frankly, if he has the ball in his hands a lot there are other people are upset. There are other people standing around. And again, it worked in Boston. Although, there were players in Boston that played on that team that did not like playing with Isaiah Thomas.”
Thomas had one of the highest usage rates that season, along with MVP hopeful James Harden and eventual MVP Russell Westbrook, finishing third in the league in scoring with a 28.9 points clip and fourth in the MVP voting.
The 5-foot-9 whirling dervish was one of the most spectacular talents to watch during that season, scoring double-digit points in the fourth quarter — but that green light came at the cost of a solid red for other players around him, which could have derailed the chemistry in a different franchise.
