All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas is nearing closer to his return from a hip injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the first few months of his first campaign with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
During a recent sit-down interview with Rachel Nichols of ESPN, Thomas made it clear that he wouldn’t have played through the injury he had known the prolonged recovery process it has entailed.
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“I have always no matter played through injury. If I could go back and do it again, I would have sat out the playoffs because I would have been playing right and I would have been 100 percent healthy…I do wish I had more information. I never know that it was something that can shut you down for awhile then if that was the case then I definitely wouldn’t have played.”
The 29-year-old had made the personal decision to play through it with the Boston Celtics still vying for an NBA title that saw him help lead his team to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in five years. It was an injury that he felt that he could work through, but it persisted and worsened the more he played.
It has certainly been a difficult process for Thomas, but he is close to making his return to the court. This was quite evident by him being able to dunk during a recent practice session.
Ultimately, Thomas still has an opportunity to be a major part of a championship caliber team this season. Only time will tell if he has fully healed the injury that has sidelined him for the last several months.