Isaiah Thomas must alter his game to succeed with Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ recent struggles have been largely blamed on Isaiah Thomas because Thomas needs to adjust his style of play to succeed in Cleveland.

It’s not that Isaiah Thomas is a bad player. He was top-five in the MVP race a season ago. However, his injury and role since returning have started to threaten the long-term success of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If Thomas does not alter his play, he could find himself on a different team before the trade deadline on February 8.

How can Thomas alter his game though? One simple way: he must learn to play off LeBron James and Dwyane Wade by playing to one of his underrated strengths.

This is a reality he never faced in Boston. In Boston, Thomas was the sole threat. You won’t see Avery Bradley or Jae Crowder flying by defenders and creating baskets on their own, so it was up to Thomas to carry the main offensive burden. This season, however, it’s up to Thomas to be one of those role players, not the team’s star.

Here’s a prime example of how Thomas’ shot selection, which he has been called out for, has killed the Cavs.

Prior to the game against Detroit last night, Thomas had been blocked 13 times and drawn a shooting foul just 15 times. Compare those to the Kings’ 124 and 37, and it’s clear that Thomas, along with several other Cavs, need to be more aggressive when they drive or settle for the outside shot.

Thomas is also shooting a career-low 45.8% from within three feet of the rim. So, either his hip injury has had more of an impact on his game than many want to believe, or he’s just yet to get his legs under him.

Thomas, although not as effective as a driver, has shown another strength which is clearly illustrated in this example.

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Thomas needs to start to rely on his midrange game more. He shoots less than 6% of his shots from the midrange. Thomas, who is shooting a career-high 58.8% from 10-16 feet, must start to rely on that shot instead of attacking the glass.

Thomas often times gets the ball off a teammates drive, and with a good shot fake, can get by his defender. Although his size may make it difficult to get all the way to the rim, if he can continue to knock down the midrange shot, it would allow him to be a more lethal scorer and a better teammate in Cleveland.

That’s the change that Thomas must make.

He must play to his strengths.

Getting down into the lane and being blocked will not only continue to irritate his teammates but it could also get him traded, taking his value down significantly in a contract year.

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There are several ways in which Thomas could alter his game to better play off James and Wade, and settling for a midrange jumper more often is one of the most obvious for him to do so.