Isaiah Thomas is breaking barriers

Back before this season started, Isaiah Thomas stated that he had goals to be the greatest "little guy" of all-time.

This week he took a step forward in achieving that dream as he tied the record for the shortest player ever to make an All-Star team.

Houston Rockets legend Calvin Murphy was the other 5'9" guard to make it. He was selected to one All-Star game in 1979. Isaiah, however, wants to make this an annual thing:

"I guess I’m going in the right direction, but I’m not satisfied. I expect those types of things out of myself, and I think when you hold yourself to a higher standard, things that happen, you just go with the flow."

Besides being the shortest, Isaiah is also the lowest draft pick to make an All-Star team since the draft became two rounds in 1989. He was taken by the Sacramento Kings with the 60th and final pick in 2011.  He exceeded expectations by becoming a solid player in Sacramento, but has transitioned into a star since his move to Boston a year ago.

IT has always been known for his scoring, but this season he has taken it to another level ranking 12th in the NBA with 21.5 points per game.  Where he's made the most improvement is passing the ball. Thomas is in the top 10 in the league in assists, averaging 6.6 per contest.

The impressive offensive output from "the little guy" (which Tommy Heinsohn has begun to call him on a nightly basis) has led the Celtics to a 27-22 record, good enough for half a game out of the three seed with two and a half months to go in the regular season.

The Celtics were 45-88 so far in the Brad Stevens era when Isaiah was acquired after last year's All-Star break. Since his arrival, the C's have gone 47-32 in regular season games.


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Photo Credit: Brian Babineau/Getty Images via ESPN