NBA Phoenix Suns

Isaiah Thomas Needs To Buy In For Phoenix Suns

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By @TheSizzle20

Isaiah Thomas

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When the Phoenix Suns signed point guard Isaiah Thomas this summer in restricted free agency, there were two predominant thoughts from people around the league. The first was that the Sacramento Kings were a bit foolish to let him go. The second was that the Suns’ backcourt could get awful crowded by adding Thomas to play along with Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe.

As far as production goes, the Suns have seen Thomas pay dividends. He’s Phoenix’s leading scorer after the first month of the season, averaging 15.5 points per game. In addition, Thomas is also putting up 4.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 39.3 percent from three off the bench in just 23.6 minutes per game.

However, that doesn’t tell the entire story for the Suns and Thomas. There’s no doubt that Phoenix needs production from Thomas to succeed, particularly with Dragic coming back down to earth in terms of production this season. However, Thomas can’t play the same way that he did in Sacramento which is what appears to be happen.

While with the Kings, Thomas was an isolation machine. That’s understandable considering he had only one or two other viable options on his team and the fact that he’s effective in those situations, but it’s not something that completely fits into this Phoenix team where there’s options and talent in abundance.

Thomas’ usage rate is at a career-high right now at 26.7 percent. That means when he’s on the floor, he’s dictating what happens with the ball a great deal of the time on offense.  Couple that with his shot attempt and assist numbers and it’s clear that he has a lot of old habits yet to break.

This isn’t a case of a player that will never work in a particular system by any stretch. Thomas has shown flashes of being the right guy for the job as the sixth man in Phoenix, but those flashes are met by flashes where he seemingly stifles what this team is capable of.

If the Suns want to be the dark-horse playoff team they were touted as coming into the season, there are plenty of things that have to happen. Dragic has to play closer to the way he did last season. Bledsoe has to stay healthy and produce more prominently. Their big men have to produce and stay healthy. What can’t be overlooked because of his production, though, is that Thomas has to grow into this team concept as well. If not, the Suns might fall short of a playoff spot once again.

Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.

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