Isaiah Thomas: 'If I were 6-3 or 6-5, I'd be the best player in the world'

There are few stories in the modern NBA more inspiring than the one belonging to Isaiah Thomas - the 5-foot-9 60th overall pick who went from journeyman to All-NBA point guard while playing for the league's most historic franchise.

But while Thomas' size seemingly enhances his legend, the two-time All-Star feels he'd actually be garnering more praise if he were the size of a traditional NBA star.

"If I were taller, the season I had would be getting even more attention," Thomas said in a personal essay for ESPN The Magazine's 2017 Body Issue. "There's no doubt about that," Thomas added regarding his incredible 2016-17 campaign, in which the pint-sized guard averaged 28.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds on a True Shooting Percentage of 62.5 for the top-seeded Boston Celtics.

"If I were 6-3 or 6-5, I'd be the best player in the world. No doubt about it," Thomas continued. "And that's not just me thinking that; I mean, the world would think that."

The biggest knock on Thomas' game remains his defensive deficiency - which is hard to avoid when virtually every player in the game can shoot, pass, and generally survey the floor over top of you - but Thomas has something to say about that, too:

"People always try to find something that I don't do well, or that the small guy doesn't do well, and put it against him. For instance, when you're smaller they always say you're a defensive liability. If somebody scores on a 6-5 guy, it's like, 'Oh, that's good offense.' If somebody scores on a 5-9 guy, it's like, 'Oh, he's a liability; he's too small.' It's always something."

While Thomas makes a valid point, it's tough to ignore the facts - the Celtics star finished dead last among 468 players listed this season in ESPN's defensive real plus-minus, dead last in Basketball Reference's defensive box plus-minus among the 109 players with the most minutes, and dead last in defensive points saved.