Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas is far from a return to action, as he continues to recover from a hip injury, but he remains optimistic that his Cavs debut will be sooner than later. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the diminutive guard thinks that he’s close to suiting up.
Isaiah Thomas was sent to the Cavs over the offseason as part of a package from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Kyrie Irving, but has yet to see action this season.
Thomas emerged as an MVP candidate last season after playing the lead role on a Celtics team that finished with a 53-29 record and reached the second round of the playoffs. That year, Thomas averaged a career-high 28.9 points per game on a career-best 46.3 percent shooting from the field.
Even without Isaiah Thomas, however, the Cavs are among the best scoring teams in the league. Nevertheless, once healthy, Thomas will be a big help for the Cavs with his ability to score and set the table for Cleveland’s offense. He had 5.9 assists per game in his last season for the Celtics and he could easily surpass that in Cleveland, where he’s surrounded by a better collection of offensive talent.
The longer Thomas sits, the more money he’s earning without contributing for the Cavaliers. Thomas is playing out the last year of his current contract, which will expire at the end of this season.
