Isaiah says to expect big things when he returns: 'I always bounce back'
It's no secret the Cleveland Cavaliers are struggling, and that their greatest area of struggle - the defensive end of the floor - is likely to remain as such even when All-NBA point guard Isaiah Thomas returns from his hip injury.
If Thomas can replicate the kind of offensive production he delivered last season - 30.8 points per 36 minutes on 62.5 percent true shooting - the Cavs may simply be able to outscore the rest of the Eastern Conference once again, but there are concerns about his ability to do so after such a long layoff and such a potentially debilitating injury. Thomas, as you might expect, doesn't share those concerns.
"Every time something happens in my career, I always bounce back and it's bigger than anything anybody ever thought," he told USA Today's Sam Amick in an interview published Friday. "And this is just going to be the same thing."
Even if he does return in perfect physical condition, Thomas will be hard-pressed to live up to last season's standard. His scoring rate was the highest ever for any player under 6-foot-3, and he's generously listed at 5-foot-9. As he rehabs his hip and watches games in street clothes, he has been listening to fans and pundits express their skepticism, without being able to get on the court and lay them to rest, the way he's done in the past. But while doubt has long been fuel for him, after what he did last year, Thomas no longer feels he has anything to prove.
"I watch basketball, I watch stuff that's on ESPN, so I see what people say," he told Amick. "Even if I don't want to see it, I see it. And it just makes me smile, because I know at the end of the day my story is my story and this has always been my story. And it's always been, whatever bump in the road, it's always been, 'Oh, he's too small. He's an All-Star, but he's not this good. He's an All-Star, but he's not a franchise player. He's an MVP candidate, but he can't lead a team to a championship.' It's always been something. It's always been something every step of the way.
"And like I said, I've accepted that story. I accepted the grind, and having to prove every single year, every single season, that I'm one of the best players in the world and you're not going to take that from me no matter what. It's just different now. Like what I've done and what I do on the court, it's solidified now. There's no more (idea that) I have to prove to the world that I'm one of the best scorers and one of the best guards in the world."
While his new team scuffles, Thomas' former team is setting the league on fire. The Boston Celtics have won 14 straight games, and have arguably taken over the Cavs' mantle as Eastern Conference favorites. Thomas hopes the two teams see each other in the conference finals.
"Oh, that would be lovely," he said. "That would be the story that God made, and it probably will work that way. It always does. It always works - I'm not going to say in my favor, but it seems to always work out no matter what the circumstance is. That would be a special moment. If they make it there, and we make it there, and then we clash, and then you never know what's going to happen. But I'll be ready for whatever happens."