Isaiah Thomas made national headlines a week ago after making a funny tweet. He tweeted to the Nuggets to not trade him, since it was his birthday. A week later, he finally came back after recovering from hip surgery.
Is this good news for the Nuggets?
As long as he stays healthy, he will be useful to the organization. Thomas is a veteran player who knows how to compete. Just look at the statistics he has put up in his career.
Thomas has a career average of 18.9 points per game, taking into account time off due to injury. He also averaged 5.1 assists per game for his career. Point is, he knows how to score and how to distribute the ball.
Isaiah Thomas is a great scorer who could give the Nuggets a boost offensively. Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated.
Denver is already a playoff team, and the players already have their heads on straight. Saying that Thomas is definitely needed to lead this team would be ignorant. It is simply not true.
The Nuggets are playing great team ball and they are one of the best teams in the league, not even too far behind the Warriors skill-wise.
But one thing the team does need is more experience.
Out of the Nuggets’ entire roster, 15 of the 17 players are under thirty years old. That is a pretty young team to charge through the playoffs. Going even further, about eight or nine of those under 30 are starters or commonly used players.
Now age does not necessarily mean a player is good or bad. But in Thomas’ case, the 30-year-old’s experience could help the team for a big playoff run. Thomas has been around long enough to know what the playoffs are like and who the team could face in a potential series.
Because of Thomas’ past with injury, he will likely come off the bench. But that does not mean his time on the court will be any less productive.
When Thomas joined the Lakers last season, people thought he would have trouble adjusting to an off-the-bench role. Thomas did well for himself, averaging 15.6 points and five assists per game. He led the charge when the starters needed a rest and did well.
And, most of all, Thomas is a scorer. He can shoot from the outside when he needs to and is fearless when driving through the lane.
The Nuggets actually rank 17th in the NBA for points scored per game, with 111.8. They make up for it with their defense, since they are tied for 11th in defensive rating.
Even so, a good defense needs an efficient offense to help win the game. And Isaiah Thomas can offer big scoring off the bench in important situations.
Thomas had a quiet return Wednesday against the Kings, scoring eight points and recording two assists.
Eleven months after hip surgery, Denver Nuggets guard Isaiah Thomas will make his return tonight against Sacramento, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 13, 2019
But, when the Nuggets need that veteran presence in the playoffs and final weeks, Thomas will be there to help.
Featured image courtesy of Yahoo! Sports.
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