Isaiah Thomas Returned To The NBA Last Night And Immediately Started Getting Buckets
The Hornets need all kinds of help right now. They are fighting for their play in lives in which they as a team went into last night's game against the Cavs with just 2 wins since January 28th. The Hornets went from 6 games over .500 to 3 games under .500 heading into Wednesday. Their guard depth is a bit of a disaster once you get past LaMelo/Terry Rozier, so they did what any smart basketball team would do.
They brought in Isaiah.
You know, the man that just had like 120 points in three G-League games or some shit arrived with one job and one job only. Get buckets. Finally, a team that not only needed Isaiah's skillset but also given their situation would allow him to do what he does best. We've seen Isaiah get 10 days before, but in those situations, he was never truly given the keys to play how we know he can be effective. So far in Charlotte, it appears that will not be the case.
10/5/3 on 4-11 shooting with a couple 3PM in his 14 minutes off the bench. He came in towards the end of that third quarter and literally took every single shot. It was awesome. Based on this very large sample of 14 minutes in a blowout, it looks like the Hornets are going to let Isaiah be Isaiah whenever he's on the floor. Sure it helps when you're already blowing a team out, but as someone that has watched a whole lot of Isaiah Thomas minutes over the years, I can tell any Hornets fan reading this blog that this latest version sure as shit looks very familiar. The quickness was there, the floatgame is still strong, the confidence has clearly not wavered and it wouldn't shock me if we see Isaiah stick around for the rest of the season given their roster issues at backup point guard.
We've also seen his movie before. A team slightly below .500 who is flirting with the postseason brings in Isaiah who immediately gets buckets and changes their whole vibe. Next thing you know that team makes the playoffs. It's clear that guys like Terry Rozier love him
I can't help but have a soft spot for these two given all the great moments they've given me in my life
and I imagine there are fellow Celts fans that feel the same way. Even if Isaiah isn't the right fit for our roster, I think we all just want to see him back in the league and playing like we know he can. Last night was an example of that. He's not going to be the best defender, but who gives a shit. Isaiah is about scoring. He's one of those type of players that sees the ball go in one and next thing you know goes on a personal 8-0 run in about 5 seconds. I mean that's what the end of the third quarter was last night and it was awesome to see.
Maybe I'm a little extra happy because they took down the Cavs and I need that team to lose as much as possible down the stretch for my own personal gain. But as someone who is still driving the Isaiah bandwagon, it was just cool to see him back in the NBA and back to looking like the guy we all knew and loved prior to getting hurt. Hopefully he sticks.