In 2017, Isaiah Thomas was an All-Star, made All-NBA Second Team and finished fifth in MVP voting as he led the Boston Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals. Unfortunately, he suffered a hip injury along the way and has never been the same since.
But despite a number of setbacks over the past few years, Thomas has not given up on his NBA journey. In his latest attempt to impress teams and show he still belongs, Thomas has signed a G League contract and will play in the G League showcase later this month, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Thomas will reportedly play for the Denver Nuggets' affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, which is coached by Jason Terry.
This year's showcase will take place from Dec. 19-22 in Las Vegas. The event, which will draw scouts and front office personnel from across the league, and culminates in a single-elimination tournament to crown a showcase champion, has been launching pad for numerous players. Per the G League, over 60 players have earned call-ups either during or shortly after the showcase.
Whether Thomas can add his name to the list remains to be seen. On the one hand, you'd think that if a team was actually interested in signing him it would have happened at this point. At the same time, the Carmelo Anthony saga a few years ago showed us that sometimes it takes longer than you'd think for a veteran to get another chance.
Thomas most recently played in the NBA at the end of last season, when he earned a short stint with the New Orleans Pelicans. In limited minutes over three games, he put up just 7.7 points and 1.7 assists per game, while shooting a disappointing 25 percent from 3-point land.
After going unsigned in free agency, Thomas has continued playing wherever he can. He put up 81 points in a pro-am game a few months ago, and recently suited up for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, notably hitting a clutch 3-pointer in the closing seconds to seal a win over Cuba.
While it seems likely that Thomas could still play in the league, finding a situation that makes sense for him and the team is the difficult part. At this stage of his career he's best suited to be an offensive spark plug off the bench, but rebuilding teams will prefer to give those opportunities to young players, while contending teams will always be wary of Thomas' lack of size and defense.
If Thomas isn't able to earn an NBA contract from the G League Showcase, it will be interesting to see if he explores the overseas route. While playing for Team USA recently, he admitted that he might have to go abroad to continue playing at a high level.
"For me, personally, the ultimate goal is to get back in the NBA," Thomas said. "But I just love playing the game of basketball. So, obviously, at some point, if the NBA isn't an option I've got to look at options overseas. But I'm in love with the game. No matter where I'm playing, I have no pride whatsoever. I love competing and I love playing against the best players in the world."
