That was fast.
On the heels of a 42-point eruption in his G-League debut Wednesday night, former Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas is headed back to the NBA for his second stint as a Los Angeles Laker. Shams Charania of The Athletic had the news first.
Playing alongside former NBAers Nik Stauskas and Lance Stephenson on the Grand Rapids Gold, G-League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets, Thomas erupted for 42 points Wednesday night, sinking 16-of-30 field goals including 5-of-14 from downtown in a loss to visiting Fort Wayne. Thomas’ stay in Grand Rapids (coached by fellow Celtics alum Jason Terry) lasted a matter of hours, with the backcourt-needy Lakers wasting no time in rostering the 32-year-old.
Among the shortest players in the league at a listed height of 5’9,” Thomas rose to prominence with the Celtics in 2017, finishing third to only Russell Westbrook and James Harden in scoring (28.9 points per game) that season. Celtics fans came to love Thomas for his fearlessness and fourth-quarter heroics, though the pint-sized guard hasn’t been the same since injuring his hip in the 2017 playoffs, bouncing around the league with Cleveland, Denver, Washington, New Orleans and now Los Angeles. While waiting for his next opportunity, Thomas has represented the United States in international competition, most recently in World Cup qualifying.
Thomas, who averaged 15.6 points for the Lakers over a 17-game stint in 2018, will be asked to keep the faucet running with guards Russell Westbrook and Avery Bradley (his former teammate on the Celtics) both landing in the league’s health and safety protocol after returning positive COVID tests. Chosen with the 60th and final pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, the Tacoma, Washington native holds lifetime averages of 18.1 points, 4.9 assists and 1.9 three-pointers per game over 528 appearances (361 starts) for the Kings, Suns, Celtics, Cavaliers, Lakers, Nuggets, Wizards and Pelicans.
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