Isaiah Thomas is a small dude playing in a big man’s world, which gives him plenty of motivation. Yet he’s not one to shy away from added motivation, and the good folks at Sports Illustrated helped him with that one this week.
The Boston Celtics point guard landed at No. 45 on SI’s ranking of the top 100 players in the NBA right now.
SI’s Ben Golliver lauded Thomas for his ability to take the next step in 2015-16, but he also added “Thomas, in particular, must now prove that he can be a consistent, efficient scoring threat in the postseason when the defensive intensity ramps up and when he’s more likely to face intelligent schemes designed to limite his effectiveness.”
Well, that No. 45 ranking eventually got back to Thomas, who apparently isn’t happy with SI’s list.
https://twitter.com/Isaiah_Thomas/status/776737508407345156
At this point, it’s likely safe to assume Thomas isn’t an SI subscriber. He landed at No. 88 last season, and he also lashed out at the magazine for that ranking.
https://twitter.com/Isaiah_Thomas/status/638379647198064640
If Thomas uses that as motivation and improves at the same level this season, it could be a special season for him and the Celtics.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images