NBA History: Ranking the 15 greatest point guards of all time

15 greatest point guards in NBA History — No. 8: Isiah Thomas

On the one hand, the Detroit Pistons of the late 1980s and early 1990s are vastly overrated. They got a catchy nickname as the “Bad Boys” Pistons and managed to fit narratively in between the dominance of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers in the 80s and the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls of the 90s.

On the other hand, they don’t get enough credit. They built a team around a 6’1″ point guard during a time when the rules overwhelmingly favored larger creators, revolutionized team defense (not just “foul them hard” but how they deployed John Salley and Dennis Rodman) and were one turned ankle away from three straight NBA titles.

None of it happens without Isiah Thomas, who likewise manages to be both underrated and overrated. He was able to generate positive offense for himself and his teammates despite an overall lack of offensive talent; it was Thomas, big step down to Joe Dumars, big step down to Bill Laimbeer and Mark Aguirre.

Thomas racked up 12 All-Star appearances, five All-NBA selections and two championship rings. His passing ability was top-notch, but the Pistons’ relatively slow pace meant he didn’t rack up the counting statistics that some of his peers did. He wasn’t as elite as the 12 All-Star appearances suggest but he was a vital part of the story of the NBA during his time in the league, a career cut short by injuries but no less incredible for its impact.