3. Isaiah Thomas steps up for personal revenge game
Isaiah Thomas’ brief cameo with the Cleveland Cavaliers did not go as planned for either party. Thomas clashed with teammates while struggling to get back to full strength after hip surgery, and the Cavs were not a good on or off-court fit for his talents. It was best for both sides to move on, and there doesn’t seem to be much bad blood.
Twelve games into IT’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers, and we are starting to seeing longer stretches of his production from seasons past. Instead of starting, Thomas has taken Jordan Clarkson’s role as sixth man and focal point of the second unit. What’s helped most is the talent around him and the Lakers’ ability to hide his shortcomings defensively.
I could rattle on about his new environment, but it’s safe to say IT had this game circled on the schedule since he arrived in Los Angeles. He finished with 20 points, nine assists and five rebounds in 31 minutes of action. Outside of the impressive stat line, Thomas made a number of hustle plays, including a pair of offensive rebounds
The main aspect I saw from this performance from Thomas was his willingness to get teammates involved offensively. He made a point to do so against Cleveland, a team that didn’t have the patience or personnel to let play his game. To be fair, IT wasn’t good offensively for the Cavs, and was too big of a liability on defense and in the locker room to have them wait out.
Now, in a relaxed environment more suitable to his strengths, IT showed the Cavs what he’s capable of doing when healthy and clicking. He may not play in the postseason this year, but that had to be a great feeling dominating this Cleveland team.