Isaiah Thomas has long settled in with his new team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s been months since Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics shipped him to Ohio along with Jae Crowder and a 2018 first-round pick in exchange for Kyrie Irving. But even being around the Cavs for a long time can’t give Thomas the feeling of complete change as much as actually taking the floor in an NBA game – one that he finally did Tuesday night, when he made his much-awaited debut for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Speaking with Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, Thomas expressed the anxiety brought by being certain of the day he will finally make his return to action.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” Thomas told Yahoo Sports. “This was a crucial moment for me to step foot on the floor. New team, new arena … I’ve felt like I didn’t know what to expect, what it felt like to be on an NBA court. I felt like a rookie. Not being on the floor in seven months, I haven’t had a rhythm. Today, it felt like I had a rhythm. I’m still rusty, but I feel good, I feel comfortable out there.
“Once I took that first shot, it felt normal again.”
If he was at all rusty, Isaiah Thomas did a fine job of hiding it. In just 19 minutes of play coming off the Cavs’ bench, the diminutive point guard was able to get off 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. It’s as though he has not left. Thomas picked up where he left last season when he averaged career highs of 28.9 points per game on 46.3 field goal shooting percentage.
With Isaiah Thomas back in harness, the Cavs are going to be a bigger force to reckon with. And that’s with Thomas still trying to round up into his usual form.