Isaiah Thomas is not necessarily looking to win Sixth Man of the Year in the upcoming NBA season. The Boston Celtics point guard thrived coming off the bench last season after being traded from the Phoenix Suns, but do not count on him conceding to that spot again. While the Celtics have Marcus Smart as their potential starting point guard, Thomas is still planning on aiming for the role.
According to Thomas via Jay King of MassLive.com, he has warmed up to the idea of being the sixth man, but is still approaching the season like a starter saying, "I wanna be the best little guy to ever play the game of basketball." Thomas was a real threat on the court last season as a 65 percent career shooter in the paint. Thomas was traded to be a reserve for Smart, but he will likely be given the chance to at least battle for the starting job, something that he intends to make happen.
"(Doubters are) nothing new," Thomas said, via MassLive.com. It's not like I woke up and seen that and it was the end of my day. I went on with my day. I didn't lose any sleep. We still got doubters out there and people who don't believe in me. I feel like this organization believes in me and loves the things I do. So I'm going to build on that and continue to work hard."
Head coach Brad Stevens recognized that Thomas wants to be the starting point guard. According to Scott Souza of the Cambridge Chronicle, Stevens said if the Celtics play their best with Thomas as the starter then he will start. If they play better with Thomas coming off the bench, then the lineup will stay that way.
The Celtics have a lot of lineup issues to work through while also determining who is going to play a role in the future of the franchise. According to the Boston Globe, the Celtics are beginning discussions with both Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller about contract extensions. Both players are eligible to get a new deal before October and must decide if they want security now or will they bet on themselves and hope to capitalize when the salary caps increase. Sullinger has been facing trade rumors for the better part of a year now and might be wise to take the security option over potentially heading elsewhere with names like DeMarcus Cousins, Tristan Thompson and Markieff Morris floating around for Boston.