Who’s Better: Goran Dragic Or Isaiah Thomas?

There’s never a night off in the NBA, particular if you’re a point guard, where the gamut can run from one All-Star to another. Even on teams that don’t have superstar guards, you better still bring it. Take Mike Conley for example. He’s a very good player, has been a potential All-Star, and last night in Phoenix, Goran Dragic lit him up for 33 points, seven dimes and three steals.

Or how about the Sacramento Kings? They have Isaiah Thomas, suddenly one of the league’s most productive lead guards — he’s third… third among point guards in PER — and he didn’t even start at the beginning of the season.

The NBA has never had more lead guard talent and the All-Star Game voting will surely leave a few big names watching from home. But today, we’re arguing about Thomas and Dragic. Who would you take right now? We argue. You decide.

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GORAN DRAGIC
A leagued loaded in stars… the point guard position has elite talent everywhere. Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Stephen Curry and many others have cemented their names as the best point guards in the Association.

With all their glamour, it is only appropriate that some players are left out of the conversation. Being a second-tier player is not a shameful title — players like Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas are some of the names filling those spots.

This season, Goran Dragic has been better than Isaiah Thomas, and I am going to explain why.

Both Dragic and Thomas are posting similar stat-lines, so you have to dig a little deeper. Granted, Isaiah Thomas is having a career-season. His play has been absolutely electric for the Sacramento Kings, but as most know, it is a little easier for stats to become inflated when playing on bottom of the barrel teams like Thomas’ Kings.

Goran Dragic has been a constant for the majority of his career. This season, he has been excellent for a young team. Dragic is playing alongside another ball-dominant superstar in the making, Eric Bledsoe. The two combo guards are splitting touches, and doing it quite well — both are having the best years of their careers.

The main takeaway from my brief point about the two guards being similar is that Thomas just bloomed into a serviceable guard. Goran Dragic has been a relevant second-tier guard for sometime now. It is necessary that Thomas is given the proper time to continue to showcase his ability, and prove that he can keep this up for multiple seasons.

An attribute of Dragic’s that I see, that many do not speak of, is his elite toughness. Standing at 6-3 and weighing 190 pounds, many assume Dragic would be a frail guard that lacks the needed physicality and ability to finish around the rim. This is far from the truth; Dragic actually shoots an outstanding 93-for-136 (68 percent) from shots coming at the rim (less than five feet).

Here are some samples of Dragic’s tenacity at the rim.

Summing up my argument… if picking between these players, the best choice is Goran Dragic. He is at the point in his career where he is considered a seasoned veteran. His significance to the Suns organization means more than Thomas does to Sacramento. Phoenix was predicted as a bottom feeder team in a tough and balanced Western Conference. They were slated to struggle to win games and ultimately tank their season to secure a high draft pick in this upcoming star-studded draft. Phoenix has proven all their naysayers wrong, a main reason being the maturity and All-Star caliber play of Goran Dragic. His ability as an efficient, volume scorer and playmaker was never in question. He just needed the proper pieces to complement his ability.

Dragic is proven; Thomas just hit the NBA scene. Productive, veteran leadership is something each team desires, and Goran Dragic can provide exactly that.

-JOSEPH DURUAKU

Hit page 2 to hear the argument for Thomas…

ISAIAH THOMAS
If you haven’t been watching closely, you might miss the tear that Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas is on. He has been lighting it up all season long. Repping a 22.44 PER, Thomas started the season coming off the bench for the Kings. He played behind Greivis Vasquez, but out-performed him playing non-starter minutes. In fact, Thomas’ play strongly captured the attention of the Sacramento front office. They shipped away Vasquez in a trade to bring Rudy Gay to the Kings. From there, Thomas became the starting point guard and flourished.

Thomas is averaging 19.3 PPG, 6.1 APG, 2.7 RPG and 1.4 SPG, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 43 percent from deep. All of these statistics are improvements from last season and all are career-bests. Thomas has elevated his game to new heights. Since becoming the sole starter at the point guard position, his play has continued to get stronger.

So who’s better: Thomas or Goran Dragic? They are both posting nearly identical numbers, with Dragic edging out Thomas in a few close categories. I believe Thomas is the better player but I want to note a few things before I dive in to explain why. Dragic is on the better team. The overachieving Phoenix Suns removed Dragic from the point guard position and allowed him to focus more on scoring. But his assists numbers didn’t drop too much. Dragic has had more experience but the question is who is better right now?

Thomas is the better player, but not by a lot, though I believe he has made serious strides and is now someone who you look forward to watching play. The main difference between Dragic and Thomas is the amount of time they play a night. Dragic has been a starter all year long and Thomas only recently forced someone out. Naturally, you’d assume Dragic is going to have slightly better numbers because he has played more minutes. Dragic is in a position where he has to score and is depended on to do so. Eric Bledsoe is the only other player on the Sun to average more than Gerald Green‘s 13 points a night. Despite all that, Thomas’ numbers are just as good.

Thomas isn’t depended on as much to score and still manages to get close to 20 points a game. He plays with DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, who both can go for 20 a night. Thomas still manages to score in bunches and provide a spark for his team, whether he starts or comes off the bench. But it all comes down to “what have you done for me lately?”

Since the beginning of December (roughly the same time Thomas began starting), Thomas has been putting up slightly better numbers, specifically in the assists department. Averaging 7.8 assists since becoming a full-time starter, Thomas has been picking apart defenses. I know as a point guard you are supposed to average more assists than a shooting guard, but Thomas is averaging better numbers than Dragic did during his breakout year last season.

Not only have his assists gone up, but Thomas’ points per game are up as well. In the first full month of the season, Thomas collected 17.1 points and 4.3 assists a game. Since then, he’s averaged well over 20 a night, and has scored at least 20 points in 12 of his team’s 17 games. Thomas and Dragic are very similar, but I trust Thomas’ fearless attitude and solid court vision to lead my team over Dragic.
-GABE BAIN