Orlando Magic: 3 reasons they should sign Isaiah Thomas
By Luke Duffy
2. The Michael Carter-Williams Affect
At this point last year, the Magic picked up Michael Carter-Williams, to add some depth to their backcourt. Fultz had just been traded for, but he wouldn’t suit up until the beginning of this season. Isaiah Briscoe, who had played well when given the opportunity, was injured. That created more of a need for somebody else.
Enter Carter-Williams, who despite having a limited offensive game, had played with coach Clifford in Charlotte with the Hornets previously. Right away he made a difference, providing the kind of kick off the bench that gave the whole team a boost. This wasn’t all because of Carter-Williams, guys like Birch made a difference too.
Orlando Magic
What’s to say Thomas couldn’t provide a similar spark this season? Mind you, Carter-Williams and Thomas couldn’t be any different as players. Carter-Williams is taller and longer than the average point guard, with little offensive game or 3-point shooting. His way of helping the team when he’s on the court is by providing the kind of defensive plays that inspire others to up their game.
Thomas, on the other hand, is smaller than everybody, and is a negative defensively. Where he excels, previously at an All-Star level and now in bursts, is as a crafty scorer off the bench.
Adding Thomas at this point isn’t guaranteed to work, but it is worth a try. To add to the similarities, Augustin is currently out with a knee injury, the same way Briscoe was last season, although he could be back in action by the end of the month.
Even so, Thomas would bring some excitement back, and he would be playing for a fan base that would really want to see him thrive. They have excellent defenders such as Birch and Aaron Gordon to mask his deficiencies, while a one-two game with Nikola Vucevic would be interesting from an offensive point of view.