Isaiah Thomas has been angling for a return to the NBA for quite some time now that he has become a meme for doing so. But he may be one step closer to making his dream a reality with how well he played in his debut for the Salt Lake City Stars of the G-League. On Thursday night, Thomas had himself a night, dropping 32 points (on five made three-pointers) and four assists in a 127-116 win for the Stars.
Thomas clearly has something left in the tank, as playing well in the G-League isn't exactly the easiest thing to pull off. His performance for the Stars was reminiscent of how he tore up the opposition in his last great year in the NBA seven seasons ago with the Boston Celtics.
Alas, this is not the first time that Isaiah Thomas has played well in this level of competition. During the 2021-22 season, Thomas had a brief cameo in the G-League with the Grand Rapids Gold. In four games (including the Showcase Cup), Thomas averaged 41.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, tearing up the opposition and looking like he was ready for an NBA return.
However, teams clearly don't think that Thomas is worth a consistent roster spot. It's not hard to see why; while he can get buckets at will, as evidenced by his incredible performance in his 2024 G-League debut for the Stars, his lack of defense, thanks in large part to his 5'9 frame, makes him borderline unplayable, as he would be an easy target in pick and rolls, and at 35 years of age, he's not suddenly going to be an average defender.
Thomas last signed a standard NBA contract in 2019 with the Washington Wizards. Since then, he has signed four separate 10-day contracts with the New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Charlotte Hornets. From the 2020-21 season onward, Thomas has only suited up in 22 games, with 17 of those coming with the Hornets in 2022 after Charlotte was ravaged by injuries.
As low as his chances are of latching onto an NBA team, t's admirable that Isaiah Thomas is still able to play at a high level in the G-League and that he's still in pursuit of a comeback.
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