“That slow grind,” as Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas often says of his recovery, is all but over. The crafty ball-handler will make his long-awaited debut on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, and it looks like Dwyane Wade is thrilled.
Wade, a 12-time All Star and three-time champion, posted this motivational tweet in honor of his new teammate’s return.
According to a report from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Thomas, now 28 years of age, will come off the bench in Tuesday’s game. Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue has previously stated that the former Washington Huskies stand-out will not play in back-to-back sets just yet, which rules him out for Wednesday’s game in Boston against the Celtics.
After participating in Monday’s five-on-five drills with no ill effects, Thomas commented on his status.
“My hip is better, but I have no rhythm,” a confident Thomas told McMenamin. “It feels like I lost my powers. But once I get out there, it’s going to be too hard to hold me back.”
“I’m just ready to put the grind forward and give the fans what they want to see and make this season something special,” Thomas said in his closing remarks.
Without a doubt, Thomas is itching to take the floor with his new teammates — and they could use his help. In 76 games played for the Celtics last season, he turned in averages of 28.9 points on .463 percent shooting from the field (both career-highs), 5.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and just under one block (.9) per game.
