If I told you that a rookie guard on the Sacramento Kings was making a significant impact on the team's performance, certainly you'd assume I was talking about Sacramento's prized lottery pick Jimmer Fredette. The reality is the answer is Isaiah Thomas.

The diminutive guard from the University of Washington has overcome a swarm of obstacles to earn playing time and contribute. Kings fans and Kings personnel alike yearned desperately to see Jimmer Fredette play, he a lottery choice and widely considered one of the core players on the roster. Meanwhile Thomas, for all intents and purposes, barely made the team as the 60th and final choice in last summer's NBA Draft. So for the first few weeks of the season Fredette was the third guard in the rotation, taking his rookie lumps and learning on the fly.

In mid-January, a deep thigh contusion to Marcus Thornton freed up minutes in the backcourt for Thomas and he sprinted with the opportunity. Playing alongside either Tyreke Evans or Jimmer Fredette, Isaiah displayed a knack for getting to the rim consistently with wreckless abandon, provided an energy off the Sacramento bench not seen since Bobby Jackson took home the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2002-03, and most importantly, he had the ability to play as a pure point guard and make this roster of shoot first scorers better.

Isaiah's statistics of 7.3 points and 2.4 assists won't blow anyone away, but if you dig deeper you discover the profound impact he's made just six weeks into his NBA career. In the February 6 victory at New Orleans, Thomas lifted a lifeless Kings team that was down 10 at multiple points in the first half to a dramatic comeback. He entered the game midway through the third quarter, with the Kings down 14, and played the remainder of the contest leading his unit to an 8 point win. Isaiah Thomas was a +18 on the NBA's +/- stat, which gauges how the team does when a player is on the court. Granted it's only one game, but this is precisely the type of impact he's had several times already in 2011-12.

He's scored double figures eight times and he has logged at least five assists on six seperate occasions despite his limited minutes. Things that don't show up on the box score are the intensity with which he competes defensively and the considerable change in tempo that the Kings play with when he's in the game. They go from Jabba the Hut to Usain Bolt.

Typically rookies come in and struggle with a number of changes at the NBA level. The speed of the game, the intimidation and awe factor of playing against proven NBA stars which they grew up watching, the physicality, the deeper three point line, etc. But from day one, Thomas has answered the call. The former Huskie is almost always the fastest player on the court, he checked Kobe Bryant for a three or four minute stretch in his first NBA game, and Thomas is connecting on a solid 35% from downtown.

I don't want to get carried away, I realize he's only played in 23 games as a professional, but his game reminds me of a number of standout current and former NBA players. His silky left handed jumper and 5'9" frame conjure memories of Damon Stoudamire. His craftiness and ability to find open teammates upon penetrating the lane remind me of Rajon Rondo. His substantial jumping ability and explosion are eerily reminiscent of Nate Robinson.

Now the Kings as an organization finds itself in a rather enviable, intriguing position. Their backcourt houses four players, all 24 or younger, which the franchise thinks extremely high of. Tyreke Evans is a former Rookie of the Year award winner and has experienced a resurgence since starting the season poorly. Evans' jump shot remains a question mark, but his decision making has developed substantially under interim coach Keith Smart. No longer do you see Evans attempt to go one on three and plow into set defenders in transition. Tyreke also is an outstanding rebounder for his position and has cut his turnovers down appreciably. Ownership looks at Tyreke as a franchise caliber player.

The team re-signed free agent Marcus Thornton to a lucrative four year, $31 million deal just a couple months ago. His performance has fallen off slightly from last season's elite standards, but he is considered the team's best scorer and the organization obviously remains high on him.

Tenth overall pick Jimmer Fredette has been up and down in his young career, like most rookies. Fredette has scored 17 or more three times already and is knocking down a blistering 39% from three and nearly 90% from the free throw line. He is looked at as an integral part of the Kings' rebuilding process and absolutely regarded highly by the team.

And then there's Isaiah Thomas, the wunderkind from the University of Washington, who has thrown off the entire order of operation with his efficient, dynamic play.

What do the Sacramento Kings do with this quagmire? My suggestion would be to start Isaiah Thomas at point guard immediately. He has proven when given minutes that he understands the importance of setting the table and distributing to the congregation of scorers like DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton and John Salmons. He possesses the lateral quickness and the competitive fire to stay in front of his man defensively, two things that cannot be taught. He has the confidence of a seven year veteran, and perhaps most importantly, the belief and trust of his teammates.

Start him alongside Tyreke Evans, where Tyreke can than return to his more natural position of two guard. Thomas can run the half court offense and lead the break, finding the 6'6", 220 lb. locomotive for power finishes in transition. Have Marcus Thornton come off the bench, in the vein of Jamal Crawford, Manu Ginobili, and Jason Terry. Thornton can still score 17-20 points a night, as his minutes and shots will remain high, he'll just do it against the weaker competition of an opponent's second unit.

As for Jimmer, it does become something of a numbers game. There are 96 available minutes between the PG and the SG spots. However, between Evans, Thornton and Thomas the majority of the minutes will be eaten up. Jimmer 4-5 minutes a half, with an obvious increase when injuries/foul trouble come into play or if his production increases and he can earn minutes just as Isaiah has.

Keith Smart has proven he will shake up a starting lineup, benching power forward J.J. Hickson for Jason Thompson just a couple games into his tenure. Will he do the same and bring the lightning rod Thomas to the starting unit? I I guarantee he has thought long and hard about it.