It’s been almost a year in the making, but former All-Star Isaiah Thomas made his much-anticipated debut for the Nuggets on Wednesday night following a long rehabilitation process after surgery to repair a lingering hip issue that has threatened to derail his NBA career entirely.
Thomas has been methodically working his way back into game shape in recent weeks, which included 5-on-5 scrimmages and a brief stint down in the G-League (though he didn’t actually suit up for Denver’s affiliate).
The early returns were promising for the player who was once considered one of the league’s elite scorers. Thomas finished with eight points and two assists for the night in just 13 minutes of action, and that included a stretch where he scored 8-of-10 for the Nuggets late in the third and the early fourth quarter, as Denver eventually eked out a 120-118 win over the Kings.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1095893223149588480
Isaiah Thomas finished with 8 PTS (3-6 FG, 2-5 3PM) and 2 AST in 13 MIN in his @nuggets debut! #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/uNqC2vEEfw
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 14, 2019
Thomas joins a team that stood atop the Western Conference standings for much of the first half of the season, and questions obviously remain about how they’ll integrate him into a rotation that has already established its identify thus far.
The Nuggets are relatively crowded in the back-court with Malik Beasley and Jamal Murray, and Monte Morris off the bench, the second-year guard who has provided a spark for Denver’s second unit. The question will be whether Thomas can still position himself as a scoring threat as a reserve without upsetting the chemistry the team has nurtured this season.
Regardless, it’s heartening to see him back on the court after a rough couple of seasons marred by injuries and trades that have once again called into question his future in a league where he will apparently always have to prove himself.
