What he lacks in height, Isaiah Thomas more than makes up for in confidence.
In a podcast interview with Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer on Monday, the Boston Celtics point guard wasn’t shy about his belief in his own abilities.
“Not to be cocky, but I feel like I’m the best player in the world,” the 5-foot-9 Thomas said. “That’s just the work I put in, and if you don’t feel like that, then you’re cheating yourself.”
Thomas has certainly looked the part at times this season with his sublime performance on the offensive end. He is currently second in the NBA with 29.0 points per game and is head, shoulders, knees, and toes above everybody else when it comes to fourth quarter points (10.1 a contest). Thomas’ percentages from the field (46.1) and from deep (38.4) are also career-bests.
Though his size makes him a major liability on the other end (the Celtics are 11.5 points better defensively when Thomas is off the court as opposed to on, per NBA.com), Thomas has a right to puff out his chest. After all, he’s led Boston to the third seed in the East, he’s all but secured a spot on the All-Star team, and he’s made his offseason player ranking look absolutely asinine.
