2. He is a below average defender
There is no question that Isaiah Thomas can light it up and score with the best of any point guard in the league. But for how good he is on offense, he is arguably equally as bad on the defensive side of the ball.
Standing at 5’9″, his stature makes it harder to match up against some of the bigger guards in the league. Even when he was having his career season with the Celtics he had to be somewhat hidden in their defensive scheme.
He was rated as the worst player in the league on defense at multiple points last season as well. His defensive rating of 117.5 with the Cavs was the worst by any player last season and was also the worst by any player in the last 25 years.
Isaiah Thomas currently has a defensive rating of 117.5 with the Cavs.
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 31, 2018
Not only is that the worst by any player (min 25 MPG) this season, it's in fact the worst by any player in the last 25 years. pic.twitter.com/z6GnkaxhGG
The Lakers tried to build this team with strong defenders in the offseason by bringing in guys like Lance Stephenson and Rajon Rondo to defend the perimeter. The Lakers want to play a switch-heavy defense and they need players that can defend multiple positions to pull it off. Thomas can barely defend the point guard spot, so it is easy to see why he was a questionable fit with what the Lakers are trying to do next season.