5 reasons why the Orlando Magic should sign Isaiah Thomas
2. Isaiah Thomas says he’s 100 percent healthy
In October of 2020, Isaiah Thomas told ESPN that he was ready to contribute to an NBA roster after undergoing a successful hip procedure. After much time away from the NBA atmosphere, Isaiah explained in ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski’s report how he’s finally prepared to compete at full health.
"“There’s no more pain. I’ve got my full range of motion. For three years, I was trying to play the best players in the world on one leg. I needed help from my kids to put my socks on in the morning. Now, I can lift weights. I can squat low. I can work out twice a day. I’m able to cut and move and stop, able to cut and go. I feel like I’m 31 years old again. And now, I have scientific evidence to show that.”"
Thomas dealt with continuous pain for a while but he seems to think that he’s back to an appropriate physical state that’s good enough to play alongside the best players in the world. If anyone knows his body the best, it’s him, and it would be relishing to see the veteran point guard back on the court at full strength after a timely absence.
Isaiah added to Woj, “In some ways, the time off because of COVID was a blessing in disguise for my career. It allowed me to take the time to get this procedure done, and get back physically to a level I need to be to compete in the league. I made the right decision to do this, and I’m anxious to show people I can contribute to a team again.”
All Isaiah Thomas needs is an opportunity to prove that he’s still a productive NBA player. This is the perfect time for a team like the Orlando Magic to take a chance on him.
3. The Magic would value a boost offensively
The Orlando Magic have been good defensively so far this season, but they’ve been absolutely abysmal on the offensive end. They currently average 105.3 points per game, which ranks 28th in the league.
If Isaiah Thomas is indeed healthy like all the indications point to, he could make a real difference for the Magic offensively. The last time he was fully healthy for the majority of a season, Thomas averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game. There’s not a chance he would average close to those numbers nowadays after all he’s been through, but there’s no arguing what IT is capable of offensively with his unique scoring abilities talent-wise.
Besides, he’s averaged 18.1 points and 5.0 assists per game over his inspiring career and most recently recorded averages of 12.2 points and 3.7 assists per game “on one leg” while with the Washington Wizards during the 2019-20 season.
Orlando would value an offensive-minded point guard that’s more experienced to run its struggling offense at the moment.