“Kobe Bryant named me Mighty IT, Allen Iverson called me a real killa”: Former Celtics star guard Isaiah Thomas expresses his frustration of not being on an NBA team

Akash Murty | 07/12/2021
Isaiah Thomas Breaks Down “Cookin” Defenders in the Flow of the Game

Former Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas is without a team and is looking for another chance to play in the NBA.

There’s always a player who deserves to play in the NBA, but somehow stays out with no team willing to take a risk on them. Occasionally, they get a chance after a year or two in the wilderness, as Carmelo Anthony did after staying out for over 1 year. But most of the time they don’t.

Isaiah Thomas found himself on this unlucky list a few years after his incredible run to a Conference Final. The 32-year-old is best known for his time with the Boston Celtics. He made All-Star appearances in both of his full seasons there. The 2016-17 season was where he put the world on notice.

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‘IT’ averaged 28.9 points per game that year. Playing through a hip injury and mourning the death of his sister, he led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals. But he was never the same after aggravating that injury. Cs repaid him with a trade to the Cavaliers the very next season.

Since then, he’s been continuously struggling with injuries and never played a full season for the ball club. He’s been in 5 different franchises in 5 years since 2017.

Isaiah Thomas wishes to play in the NBA again

The 5’9 guard is still active and is currently representing the United States in qualifying for the 2023 World Cup. He scored 21 points in last week’s 95-90 win over Cuba. But the man wants to play where he belongs.

In a series of tweets on Monday, Isaiah Thomas expressed his desire to play in the NBA again.

The legends of the game were in awe of IT after he led Boston to the 2017 Conference Finals, only to be out injured in the third game. Cs were then knocked out by LeBron’s Cavaliers, who went on to win the Championship. Everyone gave Isaiah his due respect that off-season.

Nobody regrets giving Melo another chance, not the Blazers last season and surely not the Lakers by any stretch of the imagination. If anything, LeBron and Co must feel lucky to get such an efficient option of the bench for a veteran’s minimum deal.

And although Melo and IT are entirely unique players, many teams can use Thomas’ play-making and shot-creating abilities with their second unit.

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Thomas might not be half as effective as he was in the 2017, but an All-NBA selection can still be an efficient contributor and a veteran presence on an NBA team.

Post Edited By: Akash Murty
boston celtics isaiah thomas

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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