While Isaiah Thomas has made some big strides in recent weeks, he still isn’t quite ready for game action on Wednesday.
Thomas will not play as the Cavaliers take on the Sacramento Kings at 10 p.m. tonight. However, head coach Tyronn Lue would not say whether or not Thomas would play against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. One thing that is for certain, is that Thomas will scrimmage with the Cavs on Friday.
According to ESPN, Thomas is scheduled to scrimmage with his teammates in a “full-court, live setting.” It will be his first time doing so since the team acquired him in August.
“It’ll be a practice, get some shots up, cover defensive rules and principles and also scrimmage a little bit so Isaiah can get a feel and play 5 on 5,” Lue said, according to ESPN.
The practice will be held at a high school near Napa, California as the team is headed to wine country on their off day on Thursday.
In case you need a refresher, Thomas has not played since the 2016-17 Eastern Conference Finals due to a torn labrum in his right hip. The Cavs acquired Thomas from the Boston Celtics in the Kyrie Irving trade.
Last Thursday, Thomas got his first five-on-five work in as the team brought members of the Canton Charge up to the Cavs’ practice facility in Independence to scrimmage with Thomas. That same day, Thomas dressed with the team for their game against the Chicago Bulls and participated in warmups.
“It was everything,” Thomas said last week. “When I was out there in warmups it just felt like I was a rookie again, like my first game. I haven’t been in an arena like that where you’re warming up, you’re with teammates. That’s so new to me right now because I’ve been down since May. Just being out there put a smile on my face. It was everything for me to just put a jersey on and feel like I was part of the team. That day is coming sooner rather than later though that I’ll be playing, and I can’t wait.”
That same day, however, he was officially ruled out for the Cavs’ Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors, which the Cavs went on to lose, 99-92. Thomas said at the time that he didn’t have enough in-game rhythm or the conditioning level to be as effective as he knew he could be; however, Monday’s game showed just how much the team could benefit with having another player out on the court who can create offense for others alongside LeBron James.
Both Thomas and the team have been extra cautious with his return to game action, and the team has not given media a target date for his return, most likely to not rush him back. After all, the one thing no one wants is for Thomas to get to a point where he has to take games off because of his injured hip.
One thing that may be a motivating factor? The Cavs take on Thomas’ former team in Boston next Wednesday, Jan. 3.
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