Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas has been progressing well in his recovery from the hip injury he sustained in last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs. Most reports say the crafty ball-handler’s rehabilitation is ahead of schedule, but it sounds like he won’t be making his Cavs debut just yet.
Although he has participated in several team practices with no ill effects, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue announced that Thomas will not play in Cleveland’s Wednesday night matchup against the Sacramento Kings inside the Golden 1 Center.
Ty Lue says that Isaiah Thomas is out tonight vs SAC. He would not say whether Thomas would play against Utah at the end of the trip or not.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 27, 2017
Though he has been ruled out for the Kings game, Thomas, now 28 years of age, was on the floor with several members of the Cavs’ coaching staff during Wednesday morning’s practice.
Cavs getting early work in today include: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Isaiah Thomas
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) December 27, 2017
Tyronn Lue is also here, working with IT. They are going through plays with Cedi and Zizic
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) December 27, 2017
There were some reports indicating that Thomas could make his debut during the Cavs’ current West Coast road trip, but that remains to be seen. Coach Lue would not comment on Thomas’ status for Saturday night’s game in Utah.
In his 76 games played for the Boston Celtics last season, Thomas turned in some of the best statistical figures of his life, averaging a career-high 28.9 points on 46 percent shooting from the field (38 percent from beyond the arc), 5.9 assists, and 2.7 rebounds — all while knocking down 91 percent of his free-throws.
Thomas often refers to his rehabilitation process a “slow grind.” Might the process be nearing an end?