Thomas unwilling to accept reserve role: 'I'm not no sixth man'
Isaiah Thomas has bitten his tongue since coming over to the Los Angeles Lakers at the NBA trade deadline, accepting a backup role which he feels is beneath him, yet playing through it for the betterment of the team.
Moving forward, though, he wants his next employer to know - whether that's the Lakers, or another team entirely when he enters unrestricted free agency - he's signing on to be a starter, not a reserve.
"I'm not no sixth man," Thomas declared to USA Today Sports' Sam Amick. "And I won't be a sixth man (in the future). I just want everybody to know that, like clear as can be. I'm a two-time All-Star and a starter who has done things that a lot of people in this league haven't done, given that opportunity.
"But I got traded into a situation I can't control. There's nothing bad against (Lakers coach) Luke Walton. There's nothing bad against the Los Angeles Lakers. I'm taking advantage of the opportunity they've given me, and then (we’ll) end the season off strong. And that's all I can do. I'm not coming in here saying: 'Oh, I want this, or this is going to happen.' No, that's not me. I'm just going to come in here and be a professional, and when my name is called I'm going to be more than ready for any opportunity I'm given."
Wednesday's loss to the Golden State Warriors marked Thomas' first start in purple and gold, filling in for the injured Kyle Kuzma to work the backcourt alongside rookie Lonzo Ball. The two-time All-Star dropped 20 points on the reigning champions, drilling five 3-pointers and dishing out seven assists in 37 minutes.
"I'm here to help," Thomas added. "I'm here to continue to get better, and I'm still – (expletive), I can reach levels that I know I haven't reached yet, and I'm here to help along the way in whatever they need me to do, and I'm going to be a professional. At the end of the day, that's all I can do and let everything else take care of itself."
Shortly after it was announced he was joining the Lakers, Thomas' agent contacted ESPN's Rachel Nichols to let it be known his client wasn't going to come off the bench, and if that were the case, he would rather accept a buyout instead.
Well, so much for that, because Thomas has not only been served the role of sixth man, but he's done so with tremendous results. He's averaging 16.5 points and 5.4 assists with a plus-minus of +3.3 in that spot, with Los Angeles going 8-5 during that span prior to facing Golden State.