He was the last one. Literally. When the Sacramento Kings Isaiah Thomas partnership began in 2011, he was the 60th pick in the NBA Draft. That is the "irrelevant" slot. Usually, guys picked there are overseas stashes or training camp fodder who disappear by November. But Isaiah wasn't that. Not even close. If you walked into Power Balance Pavilion (remember that name?) back then, you felt a weird energy. The franchise was messy. The Maloof ownership saga was dragging on, rumors of relocation to Anaheim or Virginia Beach were everywhere, and the roster was a rotating door of "what ifs." Then this 5'9" kid from Washington shows up and starts playing like his hair is on fire.
Honestly, it shouldn't have worked. The Kings already had Tyreke Evans, the former Rookie of the Year, and they had just drafted Jimmer Fredette with the 10th overall pick. Jimmer was the hype train. Isaiah was the footnote. But by the end of their rookie seasons, everyone knew who the real floor general was. It’s funny how sports works. You can scout wingspans and vertical leaps all day, but you can’t measure the chip on a guy’s shoulder. Isaiah didn't just have a chip; he had a whole mountain.
The Jimmer vs. Isaiah Dilemma
The 2011-12 season was a fever dream for Kings fans. You had Paul Westphal getting fired early on, Keith Smart taking over, and a fan base desperate for something to cheer for. Most people forget that Isaiah didn't start right away. He had to earn every single second. While the front office was likely hoping Jimmer Fredette would become the superstar his college highlights promised, Isaiah was busy outplaying everyone in practice.
He eventually forced his way into the starting lineup. Why? Because he was a bucket. Plain and simple. He averaged 11.5 points and 4.1 assists as a rookie, earning two Western Conference Rookie of the Month awards. Think about that. The 60th pick was beating out high lottery selections for hardware. He made the All-Rookie Second Team. It was the first sign that the Sacramento Kings had stumbled onto a gold mine, even if they didn't quite realize how to manage it yet.
There was this specific game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in his rookie year where he dropped 23 points and 11 assists. You watched him navigate the pick-and-roll and realized he wasn't just small and fast; he was savvy. He used his low center of gravity to bump bigger defenders off their spots. He had this stop-and-go hesitation move that left veterans looking silly. It was pure basketball brilliance packed into a 5'9" frame.
The Peak Years in Sactown
By the 2013-14 season, Isaiah Thomas was a problem for the rest of the league. He averaged 20.3 points and 6.3 assists per game. Those are borderline All-Star numbers. He was joining elite company—only a handful of players in Kings history had ever put up a 20 and 6 season. Tiny Archibald comes to mind, which is fitting given the nickname "Pizza Guy" Isaiah eventually earned through those local commercials.
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The chemistry with DeMarcus Cousins was... complicated. But also effective? "Boogie" was the emotional lightning rod of the team, and Isaiah was the engine. They were both young, incredibly talented, and deeply frustrated by the losing culture that had seeped into the floorboards of the arena. When they were on, they were one of the most dynamic inside-out duos in the Western Conference.
But there was always this underlying tension with the front office. Pete D'Alessandro had taken over as GM, and there was a sense that the new regime didn't fully "believe" in Isaiah as a starting point guard on a winning team. They worried about his defense. They worried about his size. They worried about his usage rate. It’s the classic NBA mistake: looking at what a player can’t do instead of what he is doing. And what Isaiah was doing was keeping the Kings competitive in games they had no business being in.
The Trade That Still Stings
Ask any Kings fan about the summer of 2014. It’s a sore spot. A real "what were they thinking?" moment. Isaiah was a restricted free agent. He wanted to stay in Sacramento. He loved the city, and the city loved him. Instead of locking him up, the Kings orchestrated a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns.
The return?
The rights to Alex Oriakhi and a $7 million trade exception.
Oriakhi never played a minute in the NBA.
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It was a disaster. The Kings essentially let a 20-point scorer walk away for nothing because they wanted to move in a "different direction" with Darren Collison. No disrespect to Collison, who was a solid pro, but he wasn't Isaiah. He didn't have that "it" factor that could ignite a crowd. The move signaled a lack of vision that plagued the franchise for years. Isaiah went on to Phoenix, then Boston, where he became an MVP candidate and a legend. Sacramento stayed in the lottery.
Looking back, the Sacramento Kings Isaiah Thomas era was the ultimate missed opportunity. If they had kept him, drafted better around him and Cousins, and found a coach who could manage those personalities, the playoff drought might have ended a decade earlier. But the Kings were playing checkers while Isaiah was playing speed chess.
Stats that tell the story:
- Draft Position: 60th overall (2011)
- Sacramento PPG (2013-14): 20.3
- Sacramento APG (2013-14): 6.3
- All-Rookie Honors: Second Team (2012)
- Height: 5'9" (and that’s being generous)
Why the "Defense" Argument Was Flawed
The biggest knock on Isaiah in Sacramento was always his defense. Critics said you couldn't hide him. They said he was a liability. Sure, he wasn't going to win Defensive Player of the Year. But his offensive gravity was so massive that it often outweighed the defensive lapses. He forced teams to adjust to him. When he was on the floor, the Kings' offensive rating spiked.
The problem wasn't Isaiah's height; it was the lack of defensive infrastructure around him. You can hide a small guard if you have elite rim protection and rangy wings. The Kings had neither. They blamed the smallest guy on the court for systemic issues that were actually the fault of poor roster construction and revolving-door coaching strategies.
The Legacy of the "Pizza Guy"
If you go to a game at Golden 1 Center today, you’ll still see #22 jerseys in the stands. Not many, but they’re there. He represented an era of Sacramento basketball that was gritty and defiant. He was the underdog in a city that felt like an underdog. The "Pizza Guy" commercials might seem cheesy now, but they cemented him as a local folk hero.
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He proved that the 60th pick isn't a death sentence. He proved that being 5'9" in a land of giants isn't an impossibility. Most importantly, he gave Sacramento fans something to be proud of during some of the darkest years in franchise history.
Correcting the Record: Common Misconceptions
A lot of people think Isaiah was traded mid-season. He wasn't. It was a sign-and-trade in July. People also tend to think he was a "bench spark plug" in Sacramento. While he started there, he was a full-time starter for the majority of his final two seasons. He wasn't just coming in for 15 minutes to hoist shots; he was running the show.
Another weird myth? That he and DeMarcus Cousins hated each other. Cousins has gone on record multiple times saying he loved playing with Isaiah and was pissed when the team let him go. The "clash" was largely a narrative created to justify moving on from two "difficult" personalities. In reality, they were just two guys who hated losing more than anything else.
What We Can Learn From the IT Era
The story of Isaiah in Sacramento is a masterclass in talent evaluation. It teaches us that production matters more than "measurables." If a guy is giving you 20 and 6 on efficient splits, you don't let him walk for a trade exception and a second-round pick that never panics. You build around that.
Actionable Insights for Basketball Fans and Analysts:
- Value the "Heart" Metric: When scouting, don't just look at the wingspan. Look at how a player responds to being benched or overlooked. Isaiah's career was fueled by the 59 players drafted before him.
- Contextualize Defensive Stats: Before labeling a small guard a "liability," look at the defensive rating of the team when he's off the floor. Often, the drop-off isn't as significant as the offensive gain.
- The Sign-and-Trade Trap: Avoid trading established stars for "potential" unless that potential is a guaranteed high-lottery asset. The Kings' failure to get a first-round pick for Isaiah remains one of the worst front-office blunders of the 2010s.
- Appreciate the Small Guys: Players like Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker, and Muggsy Bogues change the geometry of the court. They require different defensive coverages that can break a team's rhythm.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the Kings' history, start by re-watching the 2013-14 season highlights. Notice how Isaiah gets into the paint. Notice how he finishes over guys like Serge Ibaka and Tim Duncan. It wasn't just luck; it was a level of craftiness that we rarely see. He used the rim as a shield. He used his body to create contact. He was a master of the "and-one."
The Sacramento Kings eventually found their way back to relevance with De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, but the DNA of that "Sactown Proud" era really started with the 60th pick in 2011. He was the bridge between the glory days of the early 2000s and the modern revival. He was the little guy who played big. And honestly? The NBA is a lot more fun when guys like Isaiah Thomas are proving everyone wrong.
To truly understand the impact, look at the career trajectories. Isaiah went on to finish top-5 in MVP voting in Boston. The Kings went through another half-dozen point guards before finally hitting on Fox. It’s a reminder that sometimes the answer to your problems is already on your roster—you just have to be brave enough to see it.