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Isaiah Thomas just can’t seem to catch a break.
As Thomas was preparing to begin the 2019-20 season with the Washington Wizards — his sixth team in three seasons — he has suffered a setback. That would be because Thomas, who has dealt with nagging injuries over the past three seasons, will be sidelined again — this time due to a thumb injury that requires surgery, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas underwent surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb and will be sidelined 6-to-8 weeks.
General manager Tommy Sheppard didn’t divulge too deep into details, stating that Thomas will make a fully recovery.
The Wizards say Thomas hurt his thumb during a workout on Monday. GM Tommy Sheppard: “This was an unfortunate setback for Isaiah, but with his resolve and the top care he will receive from our medical team, we expect him to make a full recovery.”
While the Wizards aren’t going anywhere as a team this team — they’re expected to be one of the worst in the NBA — this is a big injury considering Washington was counting on the former MVP candidate to be one of their top point guards this season.
Wizards Are Depleted at Point Guard
Ish Smith is the starter at point guard while Thomas was the primary backup. With Thomas out of the picture of six-to-eight weeks — meaning he could miss the first full month of the regular season — that means undrafted rookie Justin Robinson is the next man up.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN pointed out, the Wizards now have one point guard — Smith — with NBA experience. Washington currently has 13 guaranteed contracts with five other players fighting for the last two spots.
“With Isaiah Thomas and John Wall on the inactive list to start the season, Ish Smith is now the lone PG on the roster with NBA experience. Wizards have 13 guaranteed contracts and 5 players (Justin Robinson, Philip Booth, Jemerrio Jones, Jordan McRae and Justin Anderson) fighting for possibly 2 spots.”
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Isaiah Thomas’ Career Has Been on a Downward Trend
This is yet another stepback in the career of Thomas as he attempts to revive his career. The 5-foot-9 point guard finished in the top five of MVP voting during the 2016-17 season, helping lead the Boston Celtics to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the process.
During that 2016-17 season, Thomas clinched his second — and final All-Star bid. He averaged 28.9 points per game — third in the NBA — on an efficient 46.3 percent from the field. Thomas finished fifth in MVP voting that season.
However, ever since being traded from the Celtics prior to the 2017-18 season, his career has been on a downward slope. This latest injury will mark the third consecutive season that Thomas has began the season on the injured list, previously doing so with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017-18 and the Denver Nuggets last season.
Thomas appeared in just 12 games as a reserve for the Nuggets last season, averaging 8.1 points in 15.1 minutes per game. However, he did so on an abysmal 34.3 percent from the field, 27.9 percent from 3-point range and 63.0 percent from the charity stripe. He was inactive during the Nuggets’ entire postseason run.
Thomas also had a short stint with the Los Angeles Lakers at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season — after also being traded by the Cavaliers.
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Former NBA All-Star Guard to Undergo Surgery, Will Miss Time