Last season Isaiah Thomas joined the ranks of elite point guards in the NBA, earning All-NBA second team honors. “The King in the Fourth” became something of a folk hero in Boston. His clutch shooting made it seem like he never got tired, only improving as the game went on. So it might sound strange to focus on his 1st-quarter minutes—but it may be more important than you think.
The idea actually starts with Russell Westbrook. It is well known that the Thunder are generally careful with Russell Westbrook’s minutes.