Through 27 games, the Cleveland Cavaliers have experimented with three different primary facilitators in their starting lineup outside of LeBron James: Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade and Jose Calderon.

But despite manufacturing the third-best offensive rating, the Cavs still haven’t found a suitable floor general who can replicate the production voided by Kyrie Irving’s departure. No surprise. Irving has a rarified skillset, with the binary capabilities to put world-class defenders on skates paired with a unique aptitude to thrive off-ball when needed. To pile on, Cleveland ranks an underwhelming 18th in assist percentage, and the need for another dynamic playmaker alongside LeBron is becoming apparent.

The experimental starting combination of Rose and Wade failed miserably, leaving the Cavs without any catch-and-shoot threats in their backcourt. Rose’s focus level remains turbulent at best, and even if he somehow shows future signs of mental engagement, his abysmal minus-12.6 net rating evidences an overall untrustworthiness about his game. Opposing defenses don’t orbit around the 36-year-old Wade quite like they used to, and he’s stated his preference to remain in a bench scoring role moving forward.

Calderon has started 16 games, but he is mostly a game manager at this stage of his career. Realistically, the journeyman point guard isn’t a viable threat in a theoretical fourth straight Finals matchup with Stephen Curry.

Enter Isaiah Thomas.

The 5’9” point guard is in the final rehabilitation stages stemming from a hip impingement injury that ended his final season with the Boston Celtics. Already playing in 4-on-4 scrimmages,  he’s targeting a New Year’s Day return to the floor. If he accomplishes that goal, he’ll do so just in time for Cleveland’s scheduled contest in Boston on January 3.

Thomas is coming off of his most productive campaign, one in which he was third in the league in scoring (28.9 points per game), fifth in the MVP voting, fifth in usage and second in offensive win shares, per Basketball-Reference. But that didn’t stop Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge from unexpectedly trading the two-time All-Star just weeks before training camp, a decision that will live in basketball folklore for decades to come.

Once Thomas is greenlit to return to the hardwood, he’ll provide a dual-threat scoring and facilitating option that the Cavs have missed since trading Irving. Last year, Thomas shot triples at a 39 percent clip, led the league in drives per game and ranked inside the top 10 in assist percentage among starting point guards. Simply put, Cleveland doesn’t roster another point guard who demands significant attention from opposing defenses like Isaiah does. Watch here as Thomas draws close surveillance from four Detroit Pistons players, which consequently leaves Al Horford wide open for a straightaway three-pointer:

Thomas’ off-ball flexibility separates him from the other Cleveland point guards. The last thing the Cavaliers (21st in passes per game) need is to obstruct their offense by adding a ball hog, and Thomas is a decisive assassin who hardly ever grinds the offense to a halt. Despite IT’s high usage rate, he isn’t a ball stopper; he finished outside of the top 35 players in average seconds per touch (4.73)—a testament to his success in Brad Stevens’ pass-happy system.

Of course, being the point guard of the Cavaliers doesn’t mean that Thomas will be a full-time facilitator in the traditional sense. Irving, for example, grew increasingly tired of coexisting with LeBron’s ball dominance. Unlike in Boston, Cleveland’s system is not specifically catered for IT. He’ll have to survive as another footsoldier on James’ chessboard.

Under Stevens’ imaginative offensive schemes, IT was adept at flourishing without the ball and making quick decisions off the catch. A vastly underrated cutter and off-ball mover, he should be on the receiving end of plenty of delicious LeBron dishes. Last season, he ranked in the 86th percentile when pulling up off screens and in the 92nd percentile as a pure spot-up shooter, per Synergy Sports.

Off-ball production and floor spacing are areas in which Thomas will make a notable difference compared to the other Cleveland point guards.

IT’s 245 makes from behind the arc last season were more than triple the combined total of Rose (13), Wade (45) and Calderon’s (20). Further, Rose and Wade ranked below the 25th percentile as spot-up shooters last season, according to Synergy. Surrounding LeBron with four capable floor-spacers is a proven formula for success, and Thomas’ presence should maximize the open area for James to operate as symphony maestro.

Whether head coach Tyronn Lue is inventive enough to install beneficial off-ball motion plays to free Isaiah as a knockdown shooter remains unknown. A foreseeable conundrum exists in that Thomas and James both prefer to have the rock in their hands. They each like to create imbalances within opposing defenses with crafty dribble-drives. Sharing the workload will take some adjustment time.

According to NBA.com, Thomas was 10th in touches per game in 2016-17, while James finished third. And for those who assume Thomas can simply slot into Irving’s role, note that Kyrie was 20th in touches last season, and the addition of two ball-dominant guards in Wade and Rose only serves to further congest the offense.

But for IT, playing with another ball-dominant star could be a blessing in disguise.

In the past, when defenses have made a concerted effort to zero in on Thomas, he has been frequently confronted with blitzing and harassing double-teams. In the below play, John Wall and Markieff Morris throw a hard trap at Thomas coming off the high screen. Otto Porter Jr. then cuts off the closest passing lane, which forces Isaiah to attempt a difficult cross-court skip pass:

Instances like this reveal when Thomas’ limited length can become an issue. His incendiary burst is negated, and the burden of dealing with multiple rangy wings can unravel him. Swarming waves of obstacles force the ball out of his hands, and they occasionally led to costly turnovers like this one. Last season, Thomas’s turnovers per 36 minutes ballooned from 2.9 in the regular season to 3.5 in the playoffs. In a seven-game format, opposing defenses focus in on primary playmakers, and Boston’s roster lacked another capable off-the-dribble shot-creator behind the 28-year-old point guard. 

Now that Thomas is paired with LeBron, he won’t face this level of defensive havoc anymore.

James is undoubtedly the most prolific playmaker of this generation and provides an almost unimaginable upgrade from Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley. So while defenses cater much of their scrutiny toward King James, IT will enjoy the increased spacing afforded to him by playing in a more multifaceted offense.

The Cavaliers are producing 118.5 points per 100 possessions with James on the floor, but only 109.3 without him, per NBAWowy. Through a quarter of the season, the 32-year-old James is tops in total minutes played. In November, James told Cleveland.com that the team “wants to get his minutes down,” and Thomas’ arrival will help to alleviate his workload.

During the stints when James is resting, Thomas should quarterback the offense. Isaiah is an excellent pick-and-roll ball-handler (1.042 PPP last season, per Synergy), with the distribution skills to oscillate between throwing lobs at rim-runners and kicking passes back to the perimeter for pop-out jumpers.

Here is an example of Isaiah’s maturity as a pick-and-roll distributor. Watch here as he patiently delays the lob to Amir Johnson for an extra half-second until Rudy Gobert fully commits to him:

And when the opposing big drops in pick-and-roll defense, Thomas does a splendid job of getting into the paint and collapsing the defense, which clears space for kick-out passes:

Then we have a third variation.

In the below clip, a simple high screen earns Thomas a switch onto Robin Lopez. Even the nimblest of centers have no chance of staying in front of Isaiah on an island 25 feet away from the basket:

Thomas, who thrived in Boston’s five-out offensive structure when it featured capable floor-spacing bigs like Kelly Olynyk, Al Horford and Jonas Jerebko, also projects to be a major beneficiary of Lue’s decision to afford more center minutes to Kevin Love.

Opposing centers have to respect Love’s advanced marksmanship from behind the arc. And when shot-blockers gravitate toward the perimeter to account for his shooting, the rim is left conveniently unattended, which opens up advantageous attack lanes for an elusive point guard like Isaiah. A shifty driver who can beat almost anyone off the dribble, he’ll gain a massive edge with the luxury of finishing around the basket with no back-end rim protection.

Love has had a productive season thus far, but he isn’t the ball-handling creator needed when LeBron is resting.

Cuts, basket dives, spot-ups and put-backs constitute 55.9 percent of Love’s shot attempts (per Synergy), indicative of his need to play alongside a facilitator who can help him earn his buckets. Only 2.5 percent of Love’s baskets are in isolation, and his assist rate continues to plummet in Cleveland. Translation: Thomas and Love could formulate a deadly two-man chemistry, an on-court relationship that began 12 years ago. Love’s ability to toggle between popping and rolling mirrors what IT had with Al Horford, and the flexibility keeps defenders guessing. Meanwhile, Thomas can carve up half-court defenses to create favorable imbalances before dropping it off to Love.

Proving doubters wrong is the fuel that powers Isaiah Thomas’ engine, and this season will be no different despite his late start.

The burning motivation still exists: The Celtics dumped him for a younger, taller and more accomplished guard. Cavaliers executives essentially called him damaged goods. He is set to begin the final year of a basement-bargain contract and is eyeing a max-level salary next summer. He wants to prove that he can make a full rebound from a hip labrum injury that carries a wide range of historical recovery results. And regardless of what IT accomplishes, some will always waffle at the idea of a 5’9” guard being considered a cornerstone superstar.

Right now, the Cavaliers are rolling.

Winners of 14 of their last 15 games, LeBron James and Co. have quashed the tepid skepticism created by their 5-7 start. During the turnaround, Cleveland has posted the league’s  third-best net rating, per NBA.com.

Haven’t we seen this movie before? The Cavs sleepwalk through portions of the regular season, which is followed by needless pontification about whether they can ultimately repair their problems. Then, in the face of ostensible pressure, LeBron awakens the team from hibernation and whips it back into shape.

The Cavaliers under James’ tutelage have been active midseason buyers, but they’ve never incorporated a player with Thomas’ dynamism. Until further notice, they remain the emperors of the East, and adding the “King in the Fourth” to their royal family could be the key to maintaining their dynastic reign.

Follow Matt Chin on Twitter @MattChinNBA.

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Statistics are accurate as of all games headed into December 11, 2017. Non-cited statistics are from Basketball-Reference.com. Salary information is from Spotrac.com.