Jason Terry’s been in the NBA since 1999, and while he’s never been an All-Star himself, he knows what it takes to make the team.
Terry’s played with a host of All-Stars throughout his career at all stops across five teams, so he knows one when he sees one — and he sees one in Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas.
Terry went to bat for Thomas in a piece for The Players’ Tribune, as the Houston Rockets point guard penned a story explaining why he thinks Thomas should be an All-Star. His case certainly is convincing.
“If it was a players’ vote, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Isaiah Thomas would be an All-Star,” Terry writes to start the piece.
Thomas, Terry also points out, is averaging 21.6 points per game, which is most among point guards in the Eastern Conference. He’s also averaging 6.7 assists per game, third among point guards. And he’s one of just six players averaging both 21.6 points and 6.7 assists per game. The others? Steph Curry, LeBron James, James Harden, Damian Lilard and Russell Westbrook.
Impressive numbers, sure, but Terry’s argument also includes all of those things that don’t show up in the box score.
“Isaiah is like a little Mighty Mouse,” Terry wrote. “He’s feisty. His energy is infectious. He’s always the smallest guy on the court, and he plays every night like he’s trying to prove something — like he’s trying to make you see him for his game, not his size.”
Thomas is facing an uphill battle. Fans can vote for the All-Star teams until Jan. 18, and Thomas sits ninth in voting among Eastern Conference voting, according to numbers released Thursday by the NBA.
Click to read Terry’s entire piece >>
Thumbnail photo via Justin Ford/USA TODAY Sports Images
