Isaiah Thomas had an incredible season for the Boston Celtics, helping the team reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

Unfortunately for him, the Celtics lost 4-1 in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending their championship hopes for this season. This, however, wasn't a knock on Thomas as a player, who essentially had a breakout season.

The 28-year-old averaged 28.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds on a True Shooting Percentage of 62.5 for Boston in the 2016-17 season, helping them achieve the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and a Conference Finals finish.

Yet, despite his efforts on the court, the point guard feels undermined when it comes to the best players in the NBA today. He made that clear in a recent personal essay for ESPN The Magazine's 2017 Body Issue

Thomas knows that if he was taller, he would be receiving more attention than he already is, and he believes critics use his height and say it's a defensive liability in order to not put him in the conversation with some of the best players in the league today.

Thomas said: "If I were taller, the season I had would be getting even more attention. For sure. There's no doubt about that. 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.

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

No doubt Thomas would be a better defender if he was taller, but that's always going to be held against him when it comes to evaluating and discussing who is the best player in the NBA today. Unless Thomas' defense improves drastically, it may be difficult for anyone to include him in any MVP Finalist conversations.