When Magic Johnson weighs in on point guards, people listen. After all, the L.A. Lakers great was voted the best point guard in NBA history by ESPN's #NBArank panel. But Johnson had a problem with how one of his rivals was ranked. He couldn't believe that Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas landed fifth, behind contemporary John Stockton and reigning MVP Stephen Curry.
ESPN ranked the Top 10 PGs of all time & they have @iamisiahthomas ranked 5th. There's no way Stockton & Curry are better than Isiah.
- Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 13, 2016
Magic wasn't the only NBA legend to criticize Thomas' ranking.
I love Steph Curry, but don't be disrespectful.. @iamisiahthomas is definitely Top 3 All Time PG #DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/MAkcSAuuWK
- grant hill (@realgranthill33) January 16, 2016
How is @iamisiahthomas #5 on your list @espn? He scored 25 pts in 1 qtr in NBA finals. @StephenCurry30 is a great player, but PUH-LEASE!
- Dennis Rodman (@dennisrodman) January 14, 2016
Yet Thomas' advanced statistics tell a different story.
On Monday, I introduced my "championships added" metric to evaluate NBA players historically based on their statistical performance. Thomas, who finished 26th overall in #NBArank voting among all players, didn't appear in the top 40 of all time. In fact, Thomas wouldn't have appeared if we expanded the list to 50 players. Instead, he checks in at No. 52, 27 places behind Stockton.
This raises a natural question: Why is there such a discrepancy between Thomas' perceived value and his advanced statistics?