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NBA: 5 thoughts from ESPN’s top 74 all-time greats list

By Kambui Bomani

NBA Houston Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon (Photo by Allsport/Getty Images)
NBA Houston Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon (Photo by Allsport/Getty Images) /
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NBA Isiah Thomas(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

3. Isiah Thomas continues to be overlooked and undervalued

Rank: 31 

Zeke was arguably the second-best point guard of his era in the 1980s going toe-to-toe with Magic Johnson multiple times in the NBA Finals. Individuals like Michael Jordan perceive him as the second-best point guard of all-time.

In his career, Thomas bested Magic, Larry Bird, and an ever-evolving Michael Jordan to the tune of two NBA titles and three consecutive NBA Finals appearances. He was the best player on a grit-and-grind Detroit Pistons team that many others mimicked thereafter and failed to deliver the championship hardware.

What made Detroit unique from their successors was Thomas’s ability to score the basketball amongst the physical bodies around the rim while still having the mental fortitude and stamina to serve his teammates and defend on the other end. For a three-year pre-championship stretch, Zeke averaged 20 points and 10 assists a game with a year where he averaged nearly 14 assists per game to lead the league in 1984-85.

A 12-time all-star, two-time All-Star MVP, a two-time champion, a five-time All-NBA selection, and an NBA Finals MVP, Zeke deserves to be in the Top 15. At the very least, he’s should precede the individuals before him on this list like Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton.