As the season goes by, we have the chance to see which players are the ones that are able to elevate their level of performance in each and every game. Some guys just can’t do it throughout the whole year. They have moments when they are looking like an All-Star starter, but then they hit that wall during the long NBA season and are not able to get to their previous level.
Those are the players that we call good, but not great. Guys that we call great are the ones that are able to play at their best all season long. James Harden has done it, Westbrook has done it for the majority of the season, and Isaiah Thomas has done it for sure.
This 5’9” freak athlete has been the best player in the fourth quarter in the whole NBA. When it’s time to deliver, you know that his little guy is going to have the ball in his hands and his eyes on the basket. It’s phenomenal to watch him do what he does at that height. He’s got the whole offensive arsenal, and it’s a thing of beauty.
In the month of January, he has averaged over 32 points per game while leading the Celtics to the second seed in the East. He finished the match against Toronto with 44 points, including 7 straight to put his team ahead late in the duel. In his last six games, he is averaging 34 ppg while also dishing out more than 8 assists per night.
Right now, he should be at the second place when it comes to the race for the MVP, right behind Harden. Celtics are 31-18 after their win over the Raptors, Westbrook’s OKC is slowing down, and his numbers are not making a great impact on his team. They have fallen to 7th place in the West, and Russ’ MVP case should take a hit as well. When Russell Westbrook is looking at how to record another triple-double in the fourth, Isaiah Thomas is looking to win the game.
