After 11 months, Isaiah Thomas is finally going to be making his long-awaited Denver Nuggets debut against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
As of Wednesday morning, Thomas has completed his grueling rehabilitation process. He has now taken part in five-on-five sessions with his Nuggets teammates during practice — in addition to playing with random people at public courts while on the road in order to work on his conditioning — which was the final step towards him being fully cleared and taken off of the Nuggets’ injury report.
“It has been a long time; it has been 11 months,” Thomas explained as he reflected on his path back from hip surgery. “It has been tough for me, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am blessed to be able to be in this position, to be able to get back on the floor and be able to compete and be out there with my teammates.
“I am excited about the opportunity. It has been a long time coming and I just cannot wait to get out there.”
If you ask Thomas himself, he will tell you that one of the most critical reasons that he is fully prepared to make his return has been the fact that Denver’s organization has not rushed him back from injury. Instead, they have practiced the same patience that they have utilized with the rest of their injured players regardless of role or importance. It does not matter if it was Gary Harris, Paul Millsap, or Will Barton dealing with injures; the Nuggets have taken their time to make sure that their players are completely healthy before putting them back out on the floor.
“That they have not pushed me to play,” Thomas said when asked what the most surprising aspect of playing for the Nuggets has been. “Since before I signed, they told that they are not going to pressure me to get back on the floor when I am not ready and I cannot thank them enough for that.”
These comments from Thomas came after shootaround on Wednesday morning; just a few hours before Thomas was set to make his Nuggets debut. It was the first time that Thomas had spoken to reporters since media day and he used his time with the media to heap praise on the job the Nuggets’ roster, coaching staff, and front office has done.
In addition to Thomas’ vocal appreciation of not being pushed to return from injury too quickly, he also took time to speak on Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. Not only did Thomas praise Malone for the job he has done this year, but he also pointed out that Malone should be in the running for Coach of the Year.
“He has done a hell of a job,” Thomas explained. “He should definitely be up for coach of the year. He surpassed — we surpassed — everyones expectations and we still have a long ways to go. Ever since I met him in my third year — going into my third year — he has always been a real genuine guys who has kept it 100 percent real no matter what and it has never been personal. He always is trying to do what is best for the organization. That was the biggest reason I signed here. I knew that at the end of the day, he knows who I am as a player and as a person and he will give me an opportunity to show to the world what I am capable of doing. I have 100 percent trust in Michael Malone and he has done a hell of a job this season.”
Then, when Thomas was asked about Nikola Jokic and his first-ever All-Star berth, he began to gush about the franchise cornerstone and proclaimed him the best big man in the entirety of the National Basketball Association.
“He is the best big man in the NBA by far. He does it all,” Thomas explained. “He is a very talented basketball player that you do not see around like that; they do not come around like that. The best thing about him is that he is so humble. He works hard, he is a hell of a teammate and he wants to win. He wants to be really good. When you have those attributes and those things, that is half the battle. I am happy to see him compete and be on the same floor as him. He will make the game so much easier for myself.”
Oh, and Thomas was not done explaining his gratitude. After talking about how fantastic Jokic is, he began to speak to how great the chemistry is in Denver’s locker room while also taking the opportunity to crack a joke.
“Because I am here (laughs),” Thomas joked when asked why he thinks the chemistry is so great in the Nuggets’ locker room. “No, it is a great group of guys that do not have any egos. I have been on a few teams where guys do not care who gets the success; we just care about winning. Since day one when I came here, I have seen that. Coach told me about that, but being here since August, I have seen these guys. Nobody cares about what they are doing and all we care about is getting wins and getting better each and every day. That is a good sign when you have that.”
Even while spelling out his love for the Nuggets organization, Thomas’ debut and the current status of his once-injured hip were still the center of attention.
According to Thomas, his hip is almost completely healthy, but he was cognizant that he will likely never be the same again after the injury. Still, he made a point to explain that ht pain is gone and that he has been able to play without an issue.
“It is almost 100 percent, but I probably will never be 100 percent again,” Thomas explained. “It is close to it. I do not feel what I felt last year. That has left my body. I am just seeing what my body can and cannot do. The biggest thing probably for me now — I will be on a minutes restriction — is playing and seeing how fast I recover. That is going to be the biggest thing for me. Playing wise — getting up and down and playing — I have not had a problem with that and I have not had any pain.”
So how close to his former MVP candidate self can Thomas get? That is really the question that everyone, including Thomas, is searching for an answer too.
When Thomas was asked if he has any doubt that he could return to being a potential MVP candidate, he continued to convey the unshakable confidence that has defined Thomas throughout his entire basketball career.
“No, there is no doubt. I know what I can do and what I am capable of, but I hit a bump in the road,” Thomas explained. “I have hit a lot of bumps in my career and that is just my story. I am just going to keep going and I know that at some point that opportunity will come back that I got a few years ago and I will take it and run with it.”
The difference about Thomas’ return from injury this year compared to last year is that he now understands that patience is not just helpful, but required. Everyone knows that Thomas famously tried to play through his hip issue in the 2015-16 playoffs, but he also chose to avoid surgery to continue playing last year. This time around, Thomas is being extremely careful and not trying to push his body to its absolute limits.
“I have been through this before last year. Last year, I wanted it all back in day one and that is not going to happen,” Thomas stated. “I been out even longer than I was last year. I am going to be patient with my body and I am going to be patient with my game knowing that it is going to take a while. It took years to get to an MVP level and I know it is going to take me a while to get back to that level and get back to feeling like that player again. I am just going to take it day by day and continue to get better each day.”
As Thomas continues to practice patience as he slowly gets back into game shape, he will have the assurance and comfort of knowing that he has the Nuggets organization behind him and supporting him every step of the way.
Simply stated, Thomas could not be more appreciative to be playing for an organization that is behind him every step of the way. In Thomas’ eyes, the Nuggets organization has been an integral part of his recovery from his surgery and, after shootaround on Wednesday morning before taking on the Kings, he made it a point to speak on how terrific the Nuggets organization is.
“This organization has been everything they said they were going to be and more,” Thomas said. “I am just happy to be a part of something special.”
