Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone says backup point guard Isaiah Thomas has “got to understand how we play, move the ball and get guys involved.”

In six games with the Nuggets, Thomas is averaging 10.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 39.6 percent from the field, 32.0 percent from beyond the arc and 68.8 percent from the free-throw line.

The two-time All-Star has just nine assists and 13 turnovers.

Since making his season debut after missing the first half of the season recovering from arthroscopic hip surgery, Thomas has a usage percentage of 32.6. That's first on the team and ahead of Nuggets star big man Nikola Jokic, who is at 28.0. That's unacceptable.

Denver is 4-2 with Thomas in the lineup, but the Nuggets' offense has been much more efficient when the lefty is on the bench. The team has an offensive rating of 98.6 when Thomas is on the floor. That rating jumps up to 114.7 when he's on the bench, per Basketball Reference.

Thomas hasn't been the elite player he was with the Boston Celtics since he suffered the hip injury. The Nuggets have the second-best record in the Western Conference at 42-20. It will be interesting to see how the team uses Thomas moving forward. He can be a useful player for this team by being a scoring punch off the bench, but IT can't have tunnel vision and just shoot the ball every time he has the ball.