How GOOD Was Isiah Thomas Actually? 

How do you think he'd fare in today's NBA? Also, thank you to Ridge Wallet for sponsoring this video! Check them out here: ridge.com/andyhoops

*Fun fact:* The Detroit Pistons are the only NBA team with multiple championships that never had a league MVP winner.

Nobody truly appreciates Isiah Thomas until you've actually watched footages of him playing. It is difficult also to compare him against player nowadays.He is a complete point guard who can give instant offense and guard good defense. A phenomenom player.

Isiah Thomas is easily the best Detroit Piston of all time and the best offensive player in Pistons franchise history by far.

To win the middle of three dynasties is impressive enough!! To win back to back chips is legendary!! Can’t ever forget that!!

Isiah was the engine that drove those pistons teams. Everyone talks about Rodman, Dumars, Lambierr, and how the pistons prided themselves on tough gritty defense, but Isiah set the tone on offense. When he was rolling, the entire team was as well. One of the best PG’s to ever play.

Great that you called out that Babyface Assassin nickname. One of my biggest memories of Isiah Thomas is his constant smile.

I’m glad this video was made. I didn’t start watching hoops until 1991 so I missed most of zekes peak years but dude was a monster. Imagine almost 3 peating with MJ Bird and Magic in the league 😮

Isiah passed like Nash for 3 quarters Scored like AI in the 4th

Isiah thomas is toughest player in the 80's . Doesnt give a damn whoever superstar he's facing.His mindset is im the best this game doesnt flinch in rough moments. Bad boys nickname is made cause of his tough personality and later on inflict it to the whole team. Probably top 20 of the alltime greats

Zeke is very underrated, feel like he’s often missed in the convos of greatest PGs

Good ol' Zeke. Oh yeah he was such a great player and it's a shame that he was hated because of the reputation of the Bad Boy Pistons of being dirty and borderline dangerous.

12 CONSECUTIVE all star apperance in his 13 season is extremely dominant for a point guard back in the day. Imagine if it wasn't for that 1 foul on Kareem and him not getting injured and lasting 17/18 seasons, he could be top 3 easy.

Tbh I’m not sure how ppl had Stockton over Thomas, when he had the much greater success for his career and in the midst of dominant dynasties too. 25 points in a quarter, on a bad ankle, doing it as a small guard, and during the NBA finals is crazy. IT was a walking bucket, could run an offense, and could play defense. He’s def the 3rd greatest PG to me behind Curry and then Magic.

Isiah had it all. On top of incredible speed and athleticism, Isiah had ball handling skills, utter deadly coolness in the clutch, soaring basketball I.Q....and an incredible work ethic. His whole career was an extreme pleasure to watch. Fans and even the media didn't like to see their heroes, Jordan, Magic, Bird, get soundly beaten, again and again.

He is Jordan’s greatest rival!! Do people forget he is 3-1 against 23 in the playoffs??? Come on man, he’s up there as a legend!!

Finally someone made this. One of the greatest PG of all time. Around top 3-5 if you ask me

If you consider the era he played in, the fact there were no allstars in his quad, and the level of competition he faced in that Eastern conference, beating the bulls, Celtics and Lakers... He should easily be a serious top 10 contender and second PG to Magic

Even MJ said he is the 2nd greatest PG behind Magic, despite their mutual animosity.

You really did him some justice with this video. Greatest pure point guard ever.

Isaiah Thomas is a top five point guard of all time some say he's in the top two behind Magic he was that good

Isiah Thomas was the best team leader I've ever seen. He was the brain and commander in chief of the Pistons. Leadership: 10/10

As a MJ fan, I had a lot to hate about IT especially when he led the Bad Boy Pistons. But you can't let bad narratives/dirty plays take away from his talent.

I find it hilarious that someone so nasty and irritating on the court sounds so warm, calm, and inviting when he speaks as an analyst on TV. If I didn't know better I would've never guessed that Isiah was this kind of player based on how he speaks.

He’s definitely one of the point guards of all time

I’m glad you did this my boy Zeke a Chicago legend no cap 💯

Thanks Andy for showing Homage to the 5th player on the All-NBA first team of the 80s still the greatest era of Basketball TO THIS DAY!!

Isiah Thomas and the rest of Detroit Pistons (BadBoys) is the epitome of Beginning and end of an ERA, they end the magic and bird era in the 80s while molding the jordan era in the 90s

Thank you giving Zeke the thumbs up. He is the best PG of all time.

I grew up with this team! And I still feel to this day that he's one of the greatest!! He is way too overlooked!

3rd greatest PG of all time to me… right after Magic & Curry.. Isaiah able to change his game from the early 80s of (high scoring, flashiness) to the late 80s with defense & team first & to win chips.. not many PLAYERS can do that and he did it, while beating 3 of the top 7 players of all time!! He’s 3rd and he was 2nd to me before Steph won that last chip and finals mvp… along with Moses Malone, Isiah is underrated

As far as backcourt pressure the 2004 Pistons had the “Pit Bulls” off the bench in Lindsey Hunter and Mike James. Hunter was the last player I saw defend on the ball like that.

To me he was the best point guard in that era !!! Magic couldn’t handle him

That's all right fun fact. He was MVP of the 86 and 84 All-Star game an MVP of the 89- 90 Championship 🏆🏆🏆

We gotta actually thank Isiah and the pistons for making MJ who he is, if it wasn’t for them MJ and The Bulls wouldn’t have been the tough and mentally tough Bulls people knew in the 90’s that won 6 championships

Most balanced player of all time could do everything u need a true guard to do

Love this content 💞

In my honest opinion, I actually think he is the best point guard of all time. Can pass when he needed to, shoot very well with decent amount of attempts, can play defense, exceptional handles. Magic - definitely the most recognizable, flashy and influential point guard, but lack the shooting and defense Curry - not the best player in the team all the time and average on defense Price - have all the skills, but too injury prone Stockton - can shoot, but he pass too much and relied too much on Malone's scoring Nash - same as Stockton Kidd - had a shooting problem as well Tell me what I said wrong.

Great video. Would love to see one on Gary Payton. I feel like he gets disrespected a lot in top5 point guard discussions, almost never do I hear his name mentioned, while he's easily in my top3.

Isaiah Thomas best franchise player in Pistons history 🔥🔥🔥

Great video

Simple, before steph curry, he was the 2nd greatest PG in nba history

Big time respect for the GP/McMillan mention ✊🏾🔥🔥

Everyone talks about the great back court duo of Isiah and Joe D, but rarely does Vinnie Johnson get mentioned. The Microwave was essential to the Pistons and they were certainly one of the best 3 guard rotations of all time. The amazing thing is that they were all great combo guards who could handle both point and shooting guard duties.

One word... Great 🏀

Awesome wallet and KeyCase 🙌

Isiah Thomas best point guard ever ,favorite player ,leader of a team that made the word team matter most...yes definitely deserved more champs go Pistons

As a die hard knicks fan I really liked this video . I'd say this is one of your top 5 or 3 video of all time

Zeke was Kyrie before Kyrie. Met him briefly here in NYC

I grew up watching him and he was the type of person that he didn't want to lose... I mean no game... He would let the game play out and then he will take over or when need be

Zeke is a top 3 point guard only behind Magic and Oscar Robertson and I think Zeke would be better in today's game

Isiah was vastly underrated, primarily because people didn't "like" him. Ironically, they didn't "like" him initially because he was uber-competitive and built a great team in the era of 3 Megastars; Magic, Bird, and Jordan. So, Isiah played the villain role (from Detroit, no less). All the unwarranted hate aside, Isiah is one of the two best point guards ever to play basketball. Magic is the other. For those among you who didn't get to see Isiah play live back in his days, find some RU-vid on Isiah, sit back, and enjoy!

Debatably 3rd best Point Guard of all time. Not shabby at all considering the company. He'll always be my #1 favorite player regardless of ranking.

Behind Magic I think he is right there, from assist to point, field goal. Because he play in the era game was build around big man therefore a lot see him as underrate.

Nobody: Andy: unprecedented 😆🤣

I recommend everyone watch the bad boys documentary, it was really really good

One of the best ever 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Hey Andy I am a huge fan!!!! The next time you make an how good was he actually video you should do Baron Davis

I miss the iconic Andy Hoops horns at the start of your videos ✊😩

Zeke! The greatest Hoosier ever :)

GREAT comparison between Zeke and Dumars to Payton MacMillan!!! Earned the LIKE!!!

I guess I'm one of the few outside of Detroit who did like the Bad Boys since I lived in California during their run...

36-29 record against MJ

Please do Mark Price once?

Any ~6' guy who wants to play in the NBA would do well to study Isiah Thomas, the Bad Boy. Tenacity, dedication, loyalty, and the best pure point guard of all time.

I'm from Indiana he was so good that saw him at Indiana University and won a championship. One play he stoled the and two defensive players one on one side and one on the other and he was in the middle he went to the hoop and slammed on both of them and that's when I knew that he was special.

I'm a big fan and supporter of the Detroit Pistons and for me Isiah is a legend: my favorite player of all time! 😎

Isiah, in spite of his size and being pretty fly, he had a big jump, great shoot, ball handling moving, and determination. He was the main piece for Detroit, and he's the face of the franchise, in historic achievements. He's simply iconic.

I think you’re right in the sense he is a talented we haven’t seen before and may not ever see you again. Pound for pound he may be one of the best basketball players we’ve ever seen. Surely one of the best point guards if not the best point guard we’ve seen. Stay up Zeke.

0:45 seriously he almost looks the same to this day

Zeke gets lost in the shuffle of all time great PGs. Could play in any era, especially todays era where the little man does most of the scoring. He had great handles and could deinitely shoot the 3 when he wanted to.

I always liked Isaiah. I’m only 21 so I never saw him in his playing years but outside of that I always liked him. He seems like a good guy and he’s pretty damn funny I remember open court and how he always stole the show.

Isiah Thomas was the greatest point guard of his era. To call him "the second best point guard behind Magic Johnson is underrating Isiah. Isiah was was already the NBA's best point guard by 1984-85 season. Magic's NBA career started on third base. The Lakers were always the most stacked with talent in the NBA. Isiah's ascent up the NBA ladder started from the very bottom. Isiah was better better than Magic offensively and defensively.

Best point guard I’ve ever seen

The only PG's I could take above him are Magic and Steph. His athleticism and vision were ahead of the times, the only others like that in that era were Dominique Wilkins and MJ.

He is arguably the best ever for over all point guard play! Magic couldn't shoot or defend 80% of the elite guards of his time! Despite having good teammates he's the only top 50 player that didn't have a top 50 teammate! The narrative that Jordan beat, bird, & magic to dominate the league when actually it was Isiah who defeated them! In 1991 the changed the hand-checking rule & only then did Jordan truly flourish!!The 1988 Finals game 6 phantom foul call is the most blatant & egregious fouls in Finals history!! If not for that you would actually have the first 3 peat since the merger. The dream team slight further damage the view of Isiah s profound impact on the modern NBA game! Love him or hate him every legendary player of the 80's he actually beat on the highest level & when they were either in their prime or close to the end of their prime!! Not to mention he has a winning record against the so-called goat Jordan & that's not up for debate!!

Best pure point guard in history, no question, no ifs ands or buts.

The players compared to Isiah Thomas were Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, and Chris Paul. They each had similarities to his game, but none of them have been the complete package.

Isiah Thomas was so good he was the first little point guard to win an NBA championship (Back to back) without a dominant big. Not even the dominant Celtics led by Larry Bird could go back to-back. The next small point who accomplished the same feat was Steph Curry in 2015. That's how good Isiah Thomas was.

There are most likely only 2 6'3 and under players in the history of the NBA that can legitimately say that they were CLEARLY the BEST/most valuable player on one or more championship teams: Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas. The NBA has always been a tall man's game. So for a guy of Zeke's height to come in and end up having the type of championship level impact that he had for his franchise, speaks VOLUMES to how historically great he was.

He is a top 50 player, hall of famer, legend come on lol we all know this

How's going Andy?

Best Detroit piston of all time and the 3rd beat pg ever

Thomas obviously above Stockton. Stockton was never the 1st option and his only advantage over him is longevity. Thomas is maybe top 3 or top 4 behind Magic, Curry and maybe Oscar.

Hy Andy🔥🔥 another How Good video Zeke was clutch and he sacrificed his numbers for the team

Jaylen Brown next video Andy Hoops 🙏🙏🙏

Isiah Thomas is the best point guard of all time. Period. A differential innovator in style with his physical conditions. In a league of his own along with Magic Johnson in terms of game domination from that spot. Not comparable to John Stockton, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, etc. He was flashier than Allen Iverson before Allen Iverson. He handled like Kyrie before Kyrie. He has been influential because he was way ahead of his time and he created a path for many number 11 after him. He is not "underrated". It's simply that people who could witness the impact of his game in that era is not the main body of social media these days. We, who watched him play before the outcome of his actions based on talent and determination, are still in awe of his accomplishments. That impact is higher than rewinding in retrospective. His Detroit Pistons team were as physical and dirty as everybody (do we remember Malone's elbow?) but they were mentally tougher based on that phisicallity. The Pistons didn't invent the rules or the basketball culture. They used it in their own advantage in a way the other teams could not. And Thomas was the sinning light among that mud creating a combination that could not be beaten. They deserved a Threepeat and if we consider the span from the Bird's steal where they had the series in the pocket, to the season were Isiah had the career ending surgery, we are talking about half a decade of domination in the basketball's greatest era carried on Isiah's shoulder.

Can’t think of anyone else with any kind of fame who’s personality and temperament was the complete opposite of the impression you get from how he looks. First impressions of him he seemed endearing, likable with a marketable (even for the time) baby face and captivating smile. From what I remember based on that, his obvious on-court skill, in-game leadership which jumped off the tv screen early on in his career just shows, NO DOUBT, he could of been one of these special, generational type of players that are universally loved across the world. The LeBrons, MJs, Kobes etc. 99% of the time he was the smallest guy on the court and had an instinctual ability to dominate a game full of giants. Naturally most people are going to relate and gravitate towards the player closer in size to them. When most players were 6’7 and up, Isiah made everyone under 6 feet feel like they could make it if they put in the time and work. America WANTED to route for Isiah but he did it his way. He was brash, played dirty, said f’d up stuff to the media, didn’t apologize and eventually turned everyone outside of Detroit against him which considering everything he had going for him would’ve been exceptionally hard to do. I wonder if Bobby Knight being his college coach had too much of an influence on him and the way he turned out temperament-wise.

"FIRE ISIAH" was all I heard when watching Knicks games for a time there :)

So underrated by the bad name of "bad boy" and beef with the "black jesus". People needs to literally look at his play footage to know how great and special his play is.

Zeke is top 5 pg.

Best PG ever.

Love Thomas! Even as a Lakers fan can't disrespect his game or greatness

Good video. I agree with Michael Jordan. Isiah is right behind Magic on the list of all-time great PGs. Curry played in a different era so it's hard to compare, but it's not hard to compare him to Stockton. JS was never even the best player on his own team that never won a championship. Isiah could have run up his individual numbers too, but he chose to focus on winning championships.

Top 5th of all time in PG behind Magic, Curry, Oscar, Stockton. And Top 30 of all time in 28th spot

My favorite player of all time.

great player and definitely a top 10 point guard of all time. i personally would even put him in the top 5.

Mr Hoops, please do a video on Isiah's defense. I'd say he was the best man to man defender pg of his Era. He never got all NBA because they're media awards and he had a bad relationship with sportswriters.

He was y marketable! But for sure a top 3 point guard in league history

Ain't no way in hell I'm ranking a career choker in Stockton above Zeke 🤣