Isaiah Thomas is getting defensive about his defensive performance.
Speaking with reporters on Friday, the Boston Celtics guard was critical of those who say he’s a liability on defense, per Scott Souza of GateHouse Media.
#Celtics Isaiah Thomas on being called D liability: That’s the people who don’t watch the game .. Probably people who can’t play basketball.
— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) April 14, 2017
Thomas, who had a career year with 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game this season, can pass the eye test in terms of his effort on the defensive end. But his 5-foot-9 stature and his lack of lateral quickness severely restrict his overall ability as a defender, and it showed with the Celtics 8.9 points better defensively per 100 possessions in the regular season with Thomas off the floor as opposed to on (per NBA.com).
Still, it’s at least an implicit admission that Thomas is well-aware of the criticisms levied against that particular aspect of his game, and that can only be a good thing for somebody who plays with the chip he has on his shoulder.
