Number One Option

Five seasons ago, Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas dropped 53 points in an Eastern Conference Semi-final win over the Washington wizards. His performance was just one of many MVP-caliber displays he showcased over the course of that season. His performances did not go unrewarded as he finished and took his spot in the All-NBA Second Team.

In the span of five years, he’s battled with several injuries and played for seven teams. The issue with a player like Thomas, whose bread and butter comes from scoring, is that once his ability to score at an elite level gets diminished for whatever reason, your importance to a team can go from 100 to zero.

In the 2007-08 season, Allen Iverson averaged 26.4 points in 82 games for the Denver Nuggets. Two years later, he was out of the NBA. How can a number one scoring option be forced out of the league or made to come off the bench instead of being the number two or three scoring option?

This is simply because of the nature in which those scoring options get points. A number one scoring option has the highest usage rate on a team. At 6-foot and 165 pounds, Iverson would not be transformed into a three-and-D player. Likewise, a player who never played defense at the peak of his powers will not suddenly start when he’s older and slower.

This is not a direct knock on Iverson. At his peak, he led the league in steals three times and was a factor on the defensive end. Shorter players who make their money from scoring the basketball have to maintain that level of elite production or risk being a liability to their teams.

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