He was 5-foot-9. Maybe 5-foot-8 depending on which training camp scale he stepped on. In a league of giants, Isaiah Thomas didn’t just survive in Boston; he basically set the city on fire. If you look at the isaiah thomas celtics stats from that 2016-17 run, the numbers look like a glitch in a video game.
Honestly, we might never see anything like it again. A guy picked 60th—literally the last person called in his draft—becoming the "King in the Fourth" for the winningest franchise in basketball history. It was pure magic.
The Statistical Peak: 2016-17 by the Numbers
The 2016-17 season is where the record books started to groan under the weight of what Thomas was doing. He averaged 28.9 points per game. Think about that. He was third in the entire league in scoring, trailing only Russell Westbrook and James Harden, who were both in their absolute prime.
But it wasn’t just the volume; it was the efficiency. He finished the year with a 62.5% True Shooting percentage. For a guard who lived in the paint among the trees, that’s borderline impossible. Most people get this wrong: they think he was just a volume shooter. He wasn't. He was a surgical weapon.
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Regular Season Masterclass
- Games Played: 76
- Assists: 5.9 per game
- Free Throw Percentage: 90.9%
- Three-Pointers: 3.2 makes per game on 37.9% shooting
That year, Thomas became just the sixth Celtic ever to score over 2,000 points in a single season. He joined names like Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, and John Havlicek. It’s a short list for a reason.
On December 30, 2016, he dropped a career-high 52 points against the Miami Heat. He scored 29 of those in the fourth quarter alone. 29! That set a franchise record for points in a single period. He was basically throwing the ball toward the rim and the hoop was expanding to the size of a hula hoop.
The Playoff Heroics and the 53-Point Night
Numbers are great, but the context of the 2017 playoffs is what turns these stats into legend. One day before the postseason started, Isaiah’s sister, Chyna, passed away in a car accident. Most people wouldn't have been able to tie their shoes. IT went out and scored 33 points in Game 1 against Chicago.
Then came the Washington Wizards series.
In Game 2, on what would have been his sister’s 23rd birthday, Thomas exploded for 53 points. It remains the second-highest playoff scoring total in Celtics history, sitting just one point behind Havlicek’s 54. He did this while recovering from oral surgery to repair three teeth that had been knocked out in the previous game.
He was essentially playing with a wired-up mouth and a broken heart, yet he was the most dangerous person on the floor.
Advanced Metrics: The "King in the Fourth"
What made the isaiah thomas celtics stats truly terrifying for opponents was the "Clutch" data. In the final five minutes of games where the score was within five points, Thomas was a monster.
His usage rate that season was a massive 34.0%. The Celtics' offense was essentially: "Give Isaiah the ball and get out of the way." And it worked. They finished as the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, jumping over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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He finished 5th in MVP voting that year. It’s easy to forget that now, but for a solid six months, a 5'9" point guard was arguably a top-five player on the planet.
Why the Numbers Fell Off
People often wonder why these stats didn't stay at this level. The reality is the hip injury. During the 2017 playoffs, Thomas was playing through a labral tear in his right hip. He pushed his body to the absolute limit for that deep run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
When he was traded to Cleveland in the Kyrie Irving deal, his body finally gave out. The burst wasn't there. That half-second of separation he used to get against seven-footers vanished.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you're looking back at this era of Celtics basketball, don't just look at the points. Look at the gravity. Isaiah Thomas forced defenses to double-team him at the logo, which opened up the floor for the early development of guys like Al Horford and Marcus Smart.
- Study the 4th Quarter splits: Check the 2016-17 play-by-play data to see how his scoring shifted in the final 12 minutes.
- Watch the "Tooth Game": See how his lateral movement changed after the dental surgery and the hip aggravation.
- Compare to 2020s Scorers: See how IT's efficiency at 5'9" compares to modern small guards like Kyrie Irving or Trae Young.
The isaiah thomas celtics stats serve as a reminder that in basketball, heart and skill can occasionally override physics. He didn't just play for the Celtics; for two years, he was the Celtics. Take the time to watch the full 52-point game against Miami; it’s a masterclass in using screens and change-of-pace to neutralize a height disadvantage. It’s the closest thing to a "perfect" offensive game from a small guard in the modern era.