At Just 5’9” But Towered Like a Giant: Remembering Isaiah Thomas’s Unreal 2016-17 Season That Shook the NBA

At Just 5’9” But Towered Like a Giant: Remembering Isaiah Thomas’s Unreal 2016-17 Season That Shook the NBA

Isaiah Thomas stood only 5-foot-9, the height of an average American male, but what he achieved during the 2016-17 NBA season was nothing short of colossal. In a league dominated by towering athletes and physical mismatches, Thomas didn’t just survive — he dominated. For one full season, the Boston Celtics’ undersized point guard carried himself like a giant, delivering an unforgettable campaign that placed him among the league’s very best, regardless of stature. It was a performance fueled by heart, grit, skill, and a level of determination that elevated him far beyond what conventional basketball wisdom expected of someone his size.

That year, Thomas averaged 29 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. While the scoring total alone was enough to place him third in the league, trailing only Russell Westbrook and James Harden, what set him apart was his efficiency. Thomas posted a +7.3 relative true shooting percentage (rTS%), meaning he wasn’t just scoring — he was doing so with elite efficiency, significantly above league average. He wasn’t just chucking up shots and piling up points; he was carving up defenses with precision, footwork, and an innate ability to finish at the rim despite defenders often towering a foot above him. He wasn’t flashy for the sake of it, he was surgical in the way he dismantled opponents.

But statistics only tell part of the story. Isaiah Thomas led the Boston Celtics to 53 wins, securing the No. 1 seed in a highly competitive Eastern Conference. Boston wasn’t stacked with star power; they were a team of well-coached, solid role players, but Thomas was their undisputed engine. He was the clutch-time killer, the fourth-quarter flamethrower, and the emotional heart of the team. He didn’t just lead the Celtics — he carried them. In the final five minutes of close games, no one was better. Thomas averaged the most points in the NBA during “clutch” situations, consistently hitting dagger threes, finishing in traffic, and drawing fouls to close out games.

What often gets overlooked is that he led the entire NBA in offensive Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM), a stat that measures a player’s overall impact on offense. Not only did he outpace nearly every scorer that season, he did so with more responsibility and less margin for error than most. The players he edged out? Just two of the era’s most iconic offensive forces — Stephen Curry and James Harden. That’s how special his impact was. Despite being the smallest player on the court nearly every night, Thomas had the biggest offensive footprint. His blend of scoring, playmaking, and constant pressure on defenses forced opponents to pick their poison. Double him and he’d find open shooters. Play him straight up and he’d torch you off the dribble or pull up from deep. He was unguardable at times, not because he was more physically gifted than his peers, but because his basketball IQ, quickness, and fearlessness made him impossible to contain.

The story took an even more powerful turn in the playoffs. As the Celtics battled through the postseason, Thomas faced unimaginable personal tragedy. On the eve of the playoffs, his sister Chyna passed away in a car accident. With the entire world expecting him to take time off — and rightly so — Thomas instead chose to play through the pain. His performance in that first-round series against the Bulls was already valiant, but what came next became legend. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Washington Wizards, Thomas dropped 53 points in Game 2 — on his late sister’s birthday. It was a masterpiece of will, skill, and heart. He scored from everywhere: deep threes, tough floaters, free throws, acrobatic layups through contact. He was playing in tears, literally and figuratively, but he never stopped. That game was more than basketball — it was a tribute, a message, a cathartic release that captivated the sports world.

The Celtics eventually advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they faced the juggernaut Cleveland Cavaliers led by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. It was an uphill battle, and injuries began to take their toll. Thomas himself suffered a hip injury that would ultimately derail not just his playoff run, but his career trajectory. He played through pain as long as he could, but the damage was too much. Still, what he gave the Celtics that year — both in body and spirit — could never be quantified by stats alone. He had put everything on the line, and for a stretch, he was arguably the most impactful offensive player in the NBA.

It’s remarkable, looking back, how little attention Thomas’s 2016-17 season receives in the wider discourse of great individual seasons. It might be because his size made it seem unsustainable, or maybe because injuries cut short what could’ve been a prolonged prime. But none of that should diminish what he accomplished. He was 5-foot-9, but on the court, he was a giant. He took on giants — literally and figuratively — and beat them with craft, speed, heart, and belief. Every night, he proved that heart can’t be measured in inches. Every game, he reminded fans why they fell in love with the sport in the first place: the underdog fighting against the odds, refusing to back down.

What also gets lost is the historical context. Thomas wasn’t just good for a short player — he was elite, period. Few players under 6-feet tall have ever reached his level of production. In fact, he had one of the best scoring seasons ever by someone that short. Only Allen Iverson (listed generously at 6’0″) had posted scoring runs like that in the modern era. Yet even AI didn’t lead the league in offensive EPM while taking his team to the No. 1 seed in a conference. Thomas wasn’t a gimmick. He wasn’t a novelty. He was one of the best players in the world, full stop.

It’s also important to remember the cultural impact. Thomas became a symbol — not just for short players or overlooked athletes, but for anyone told they were too small, too slow, too weak, too anything. He carried the chip on his shoulder like armor. A last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, famously taken with the 60th overall selection, he made every general manager who passed on him feel it. Every night, he played like he had something to prove — because he did. And in 2016-17, he proved it over and over again.

There’s also a bittersweetness to that season. Thomas would never be the same again. The hip injury he sustained lingered, and after that magical year, he bounced between teams, trying to reclaim what once seemed like a destined All-NBA career. But that one season — that glorious, defiant, improbable season — remains a singular moment in NBA history. A moment when the shortest guy on the floor played with the biggest heart, and for a time, stood taller than them all.

In a league where height, wingspan, and verticality define prospects and futures, Isaiah Thomas reminded everyone that heart, resilience, and skill still matter. He reminded people that underdogs don’t just exist — they can dominate. He gave Boston one of its most thrilling post-Bird years, etched his name into playoff folklore, and became a cult hero to fans everywhere.

Isaiah Thomas didn’t just carry the Celtics in 2016-17. He carried the hopes of every overlooked, counted-out, too-small dreamer who ever picked up a basketball. And for one unforgettable season, the league belonged to a giant in a 5-foot-9 frame.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *