If Isaiah Thomas’ Cleveland Cavaliers debut was any indication, then the rest of the NBA should grow even more wary of the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Thomas gave the Cavs’ backcourt a shot in the arm with an impressive performance Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at home, scoring 17 points on an efficient 6-of-12 shooting from the field in just 19 minutes of action to help the Cavs end a three-game skid with a 127-110 victory.
Not many people doubt Thomas’ ability on the basketball court but what surprised fans was that the All-Star guard played as though he did not have any rusts in him, considering that the last time he played in an NBA game was in last season’s playoffs for the Boston Celtics.
Even Isaiah Thomas himself was surprised by his performance, per Ben Axelrod of WKYC Channel 3.
Thomas’ terrific start to his 2017-18 season should serve as nice springboard for him heading into what should be an emotional night at the TD Garden Wednesday against the Celtics, despite already being listed as out.
The Cavs will gradually increase Isaiah Thomas’ minutes going forward, but even on limited minutes, he has already shown that he can still make a big impact on the floor.