Could Isaiah Thomas save Suns’ season? Jamal Crawford thinks so

Could Isaiah Thomas really fix what’s ailing the Suns against the Timberwolves?

There’s no doubt that Phoenix’s oft-stagnant halfcourt offensive would benefit from the presence of an experienced table-setter. The Suns’ ghastly 98.9 offensive rating through the first two games of the postseason—third-worst in the NBA so far—is most indicative of Durant, Booker and Beal’s inability to punish the Wolves’ onslaught of long, active defenders one-on-one.

There may not be a better trio of on-ball perimeter defenders in the league than Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Rudy Gobert is re-writing the misunderstood narrative about his defensive effectiveness in the playoffs every time he’s  switched onto one of Phoenix’s stars, and even Towns hasn’t been complete meat when matched up with Durant in isolation. Minnesota switching the majority of off-ball screens has only further flattened the Suns’ offensive attack, too.

Phoenix’s greatest success in the halfcourt has come while running layered offensive sets that rely on organization and precision, forcing the Wolves’ defense to think on the fly lest give shooters too much space to launch or get stuck in a less-than-ideal isolation matchup. But is it really surprising a team led by born scorers like Durant, Booker and Beal has proven unable to lean into a more cohesive halfcourt offense against a defense like Minny’s?

No way. The Suns went 3-0 versus the Wolves in the regular season, but no one should be shocked their offense has so frequently devolved into standing and watching one of their stars play hero ball under the playoff microscope.

Inserting Thomas into the rotation would certainly give Phoenix more offensive firepower, ensuring Minnesota has to stay attached to another proven shooter on the weak side of the floor. If he’s content playing the floor general-type role he never did during his pre-injury NBA heyday, maybe Thomas really could help the Suns’ manage the offensive consistency that was so lacking in Games 1 and 2.

But he’s never been that kind of player, and at 35 with a history of hip surgeries in his recent past, Thomas definitely doesn’t have the burst and explosiveness that once propelled him to stardom with the Boston Celtics. What seems more likely than Thomas settling into a caretaker role offensively is him monopolizing Phoenix’s offense even further, but absent the size needed to shoot over the Wolves’ litany of long-armed defenders.

The other side of the ball could be more problematic for Thomas. Minnesota’s 117.8 offensive rating is higher than the Suns would like, built on the back of points off turnovers and offensive rebounding. At least Phoenix has some semblance of control whether those factors continue looming so large going forward. The same definitely can’t be said for putting an imminently flammable defensive target like Thomas into the mix, automatically forcing the Suns to put two on the ball whenever he’s involved in screening action or risking Edwards catching fire on a completely overmatched defender.

All potential adjustments should be on the table for Vogel in Game 3. While pushing the Bol Bol button seems a better option given his combination of length and scoring instincts amid dire labors of backup center Drew Eubanks, maybe giving Thomas a brief second-quarter stint against Minnesota’s bench unit—when Edwards is getting a breather, basically—could give the Suns the early offensive jolt they so badly need.

Thomas is still capable of getting hot quickly before heading back to the bench, helping the home crowd come alive and boosting his deflated team’s morale. But any role bigger than that for Thomas against Minnesota would come as a major surprise, hinting at both his lagging viability as a postseason performer so late in his career and the stylistic and personnel deficiencies that have dogged Phoenix all season long.