The NBA All-Star starters were announced on Tuesday. Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas was left off of the list, which is not all that surprising. The real shocker is that he is not even expected to make the team at all. When fan voting closed, Thomas had only received the ninth most votes amongst Eastern Conference guards.
Nobody is arguing that Thomas should be a starter in the game, but he certainly deserves some recognition. The undersized Celtics guard is averaging a career high 21.7 points per game. Thomas is also sharing the ball better than ever before, posting another career high in assists per game with 6.7. Despite having a career year, Thomas is not surprised by the lack of attention he is getting.
"I've been gypped all my life," said Thomas, "Put my numbers up against anybody in the NBA and they're right there. It's only questionable because I'm 5-9."
Thomas has always been overlooked, often because of his size. He was drafted with the last pick (60th overall) in the 2011 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. He signed with the Phoenix Suns in the 2014 offseason, and became frustrated when he was not given a starting position. The Celtics traded for him a the trade deadline last season and seems to have finally found a team that really appreciates his skills.
I'm not saying that Thomas is the best point guard in the league. I will say, however, that if Kyrie Irving earns a spot on the All-Star team after only playing 15 games in the first half of this season, then Isaiah Thomas also deserves a spot.
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