The Denver Nuggets stood pat at the trade deadline, but it appears they are close to adding another piece to their roster. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, Isaiah Thomas, who has been sidelined all season long following arthroscopic surgery on his right hip in March of 2018, has been assigned to the G League as he begins a rehab assignment before inevitably making his debut for the Nuggets sometime in the near future.
In next step toward imminent return, Denver Nuggets' Isaiah Thomas has been assigned to the NBA G League for rehab assignment, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 8, 2019
But per Zach Bye, part of the radio show “Stokley and Zach” on 104.3 The FAN in Denver, Thomas won’t actually play in the G League at all. Bye reports that since Denver hasn’t been running 5-on-5 practices regularly, they wanted to get Thomas some burn, and a G League stint was a “formality.” In fact, Bye says Thomas could make his Nuggets debut as as Monday.
Source: Isaiah Thomas will NOT play a single game in GLeague. “Zero % chance.” With Denver not practicing 5-5 regularly they were looking to get IT run. Formality on paper to participate in that practice led to report. He’s staying w/ Nuggets. Could play for Nugz soon as Monday. https://t.co/PIhj1DQzHR
— Zach Bye (@byesline) February 8, 2019
It’s been a long climb back for Thomas since initially injuring that same right hip early on in the 2016-17 NBA season. Thomas went on to have a career year with the Boston Celtics, averaging nearly 30 points per game and being named second-team All-NBA before his playoffs ended prematurely due to his ailing hip.
He was then traded by the Celtics to Cleveland in a deal that saw Kyrie Irving go to Boston. Thomas would appear in just 15 games for the Cavs after rehabbing the injury before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played in 17 games before shutting down his season again and undergoing the aforementioned hip surgery.
How healthy Thomas will be, what kind of basketball shape he’ll be in and if he’s maintained the type of explosiveness that allowed him to become an MVP candidate in Boston remains a mystery, as does his fit in Denver. Despite currently occupying the two-seed in the Western Conference, the Nuggets’ defense has slipped to 14th in the NBA in points allowed per possession, and 25th in the league since Dec. 1, per Zach Lowe. While Thomas is a fun offensive player when he’s healthy and cooking, his defensive struggles are well-documented.
With the Nuggets having dealt with a barrage of injuries, most recently to Jamal Murray, Thomas will provide use as both backcourt depth and a sparkplug off the bench. Beyond that, it will be fascinating to see how things play out in Denver.
