Source: Maddie Meyer / Getty
Five years ago, Isaiah Thomas looked like he was on the verge of securing a BIG BAG following his stellar play with the Boston Celtics and landing on the All-NBA second team. Thomas’ path to greatness was stalled due to a hip injury that eventually required surgery. Thomas would play in just 87 games over four seasons after being traded from the Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers that saw the two teams swap All-Star point guards with
Kyrie Irving landing in Boston.
It’s been a “slow grind” for Thomas, who kept himself in basketball playing shape while waiting for a team to give him a chance to prove he’s still that guy. Wednesday night (Dec.16), Thomas strongly argued that he belongs back in the association following his G League debut with the Denver Nuggets affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. Thomas looked like his old self knocking down three-pointers, finishing strong at the basket despite his size while dishing out assists. When it was all said and done, the 5-foot-9, 32-year-old guard finished with 42 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and five 3-pointers in the Gold’s 131-127 loss to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
The reactions immediately poured with many of his NBA brethren pointing out that he should be on an NBA court hooping. Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant reacted to Thomas’ epic debut writing in a tweet, “LEAGUE him already plz. damn.”
While some can argue you shouldn’t make much noise about a professional NBA hooper putting in work against G Leaguers, this is still evidence that Thomas can still compete in the NBA. We hope he does eventually get back to the league cause he clearly belongs there.
You can peep more reactions to Thomas’ stellar performance in the gallery below.
Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty
