Robb: With Crowder Back, Thomas Needs To Readjust Role In Celtics Offense
By Brian Robb, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS -- With Jae Crowder out of the lineup for much of March, Isaiah Thomas rescued the Celtics' offense almost on a nightly basis.
The All-Star point guard increased his shot total to 18 attempts per game during that stretch, got to the free throw line an average of 8.4 times all while posting 25.9 points per contest. Boston does not manage to survive Crowder's absence with a .500 record (4-4) without that kind of production from their 5-foot-8 guard, especially with a big chunk of the roster suffering through a shooting slump.
With teammates like Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart struggling from the outside, Thomas put the onus on himself. He turned back into a shoot-first type player that we saw in Sacramento, because, frankly, that's what his team needed to win games.
That outlook changed on Thursday night when Crowder returned to the lineup following a three-week absence due to a high ankle sprain. With the versatile small forward back in the fold, Boston's lineup returned to full strength for the first time since the All-Star Break.
The complexion of the team changed immediately with Crowder's return. Evan Turner was back captaining the second unit, directing traffic and taking advantage of mismatches in the post. Marcus Smart was freed up to return to a supporting cast role, attempting to wreak havoc on the defensive end and the glass, instead of taking ill advised 3-point shots. Kelly Olynyk and Jonas Jerebko provided spacing as shooters in the second unit. Everyone was back in their usual spots in the rotation and the Celtics' offense was clicking for the majority of the night thanks to it.
There was only one problem: Thomas forgot about his improved supporting cast for nearly the entire evening. The 26-year-old suffered through one of his worst performance of the season, shooting 6-of-21 from the field while leading the team in scoring with 22 points in a 116-109 defeat to the Trail Blazers. Thomas was even worse inside of the arc where he was 2-of-14 from the field. He also coughed up five turnovers and tied a season-low by dishing out just one assist in the defeat, five below his season average.
"I had a few turnovers that I shouldn't have had," Thomas told reporters in Portland after the game. "I think I drove in the lane too deep sometimes and got myself in trouble."
Driving into the paint is a crucial part of Thomas' game. He finds the seams in the defense and attacks. The Blazers big men last night were contesting Isaiah well though. They were going straight up at the rim, leading to several blocked shots, missed layups and turnovers from the point guard.
It was clear early in the second half that Thomas was not his usual self around the basket, but that didn't stop the point guard from attacking, mostly to his detriment. The ball movement stopped as he continued to isolate on most possessions and the Celtics came up empty when it counted, capped by a costly turnover on a drive in a one possession game with just under a minute remaining.
While Thomas did reach a milestone by leading the Celtics in scoring for the most consecutive games (passing Larry Bird in the process), he acknowledged the honor was meaningless given the result and his overall play.
"Maybe when I'm older that'll be cool," Thomas said. "But I also had one assist and five turnovers, so that's what I'm worried about."
For the Celtics to have any chance of earning home court advantage against a tough schedule over the final couple weeks, they need Thomas to return to his February form. Brad Stevens needs a distributor as well as scoring from the point guard position, especially when the rest of the lineup is in rhythm (all five Boston starters scored in double digits vs. Portland).
One assist in 35 minutes is not going to cut it from Thomas and the good news for Celtics fans is he acknowledged that issue postgame. It should not take long for him to adjust on the fly to turning to his teammates for some open looks.
The next challenge comes Friday night against the NBA's best team, so Thomas and his teammates will have to be at their best to have a chance.
"We've got to win," said Thomas. "It's gonna be tough. Hostile environment, but there's little room for error for us in these last six or seven games we have. We've got to somehow, some way try to get a win tomorrow."
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
