Who was the better player individually?John Stockton or Isiah Thomas?Which one would you pick as a leader?

Question

Great point John ^_^.

Answer 1

I would pick John Stockton cuz he is a really good team player

Answer 2

Isaiah Thomas, as much as he may be the worst GM/Coach ever, is the better individual player. He is fearless, relentless, MVP. But, as far as whose I'm going to pick as the leader of my team, John Stockton. After all, he is one of my all-time favorite NBA players! I really like his demeanor, John Stockton for me, is the best point guard to play the game.  

Answer 3

Thomas was a better indivudual, i would also pick isiah thomas, cause he kept the detroit bad boys from murdering some1 lol.

Answer 4

Isiah was better in the playoffs. Better winner overall. And he's a better scorer, yet he was still able to incorporate the talent around him.

Answer 5

Isiah Thomas better performance in playoffs, Utah always chocked. Now if we are talking about coaching that would be another story LOL

Answer 6

Hmm- I'm forced to say Isiah, though it's closer than some think.

Isiah was a mold between Chris Paul and Allen Iverson- in a league where average field goal percentage was higher than today ( the average used to be 49% in the 80s compared to 45% today)-meaning more shots went in, Isiah's career field goal was surprisingly low- he shot 46% in his prime.

Isiah was more dangerous offensively than Stockton- not quite as good a passer (got less assists despite handling the ball more- his usage rates were consistently higher than Stockton, and he was more turnover prone) but still very good, but definitely more dynamic in terms of scoring: he had a very good pull up jumper.

He wasn't the most efficient scorer, but he did fine- got to the line more than Stockton ever did, was a poor three shooter but never really used the shot much so it didn't hurt.

In his prime, Thomas was a solid scorer, an above average rebounder, one of the league's best passers, and an undersized yet pesky defender.

If you recall the Iverson-Paul comparison, it's a fair one: comparing to league average, he wasn't as inefficient as Iverson has been over the years, but still noticeably below average, was turnover prone like Iverson, but he had comparable passing skills to Paul.

Stockton was the better defender- he got 5 All Defensive Teams compared to none for Isiah.

Neither player got significantly better or worse in the playoffs- Isiah remained the better scorer, rebounder while Stockton remained the better passer, more efficient from the field, and the better defender.

Isiah, however, won 2 championships, and got 1 Finals MVP- though it was later in his career when he wasn't getting the All NBA Teams as he had earlier in his career: he did what Stockton was never able to do by winning a championship, and deserves credit for that.

There is one question mark about Stockton- his assists were inflated by playing with a Top 20 Player All Time in Karl Malone and their pick and roll style of play- that should be noted, and is why he's not quite as far ahead of Isiah as a passer as the statistics would indicate.

Stockton had the longevity- he made 11 All NBA Teams compared to Isiah who made 5, and was a very good point guard for over a decade- never the best, but always in the mix of Top 5 Point Guards.

Like I said, I am forced to say that Isiah in his prime had more talent- the liklihood that he would take over a game was higher than Stockton because he was more willing and more explosive- and that's important to have in the playoffs.

As a leader- I can't clearly choose one over the other.

All the Piston Bad Boys loved Isiah- he was small, but the guy was tough: much more outspoken than Stockton ever was, but that was his preference.

Stockton was quieter- consistently one of the class acts in the NBA, but not as much a vocal leader as Isiah.

To each their own.

Answer 7

isiah thomas. he knew how good he was. he said if he was 3 inches taller he would be the greatest baller of all time. head to head games he beat jordan. theres a price though for being bad boys.