Getty Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Boston Celtics
Isaiah Thomas will always be part of the Boston Celtics history, and fans will remember his performances with a warm heart and fond smiles.
Yet, it would seem that any hope of a reunion between the two parties is nothing more than wishful thinking. The Celtics are a young, up-and-coming team, with a clear identity under first-year head coach Ime Udoka. It doesn’t make sense to bring back a player who would dominate the narrative and potentially upset the locker room feng shui.
Isaiah Thomas on a reunion in Boston: “I’ve opened my arms to try and come back in so many ways… I’ve felt there’s been times where Brad [Stevens] could make a call and give me an opportunity and it hasn’t happened”
It would seem that Marcus Smart concurs with the team’s reasoning for not bringing Thomas back for a second stint with the team too, even if he wishes things had turned out different.
I think everybody was disappointed. But at the same time, we’ve got to be real right now. We’ve got a pretty young group who’s striving. Although bringing IT in would’ve been phenomenal, right now it’s a business and unfortunately, they’ve got to make some hard decisions,” Smart told reporters at the Boston Globe, “This organization will always love him. I’m always going to love him. That’s my brother. I wish nothing but the best for him. Obviously, I wish I could still be playing with him, but I also understand why I’m not.”
Ime Udoka Has Said Similar Things in Recent Days
Smart’s comments make sense. Here we have an aging guard who is adored by the Celtics fan base. Signing him and not playing him, is only going to tarnish the legacy Thomas left behind, and if the coaching staff did bend to outside pressure, younger and potentially more deserving players could get their noses bent out of shape.
During a recent press conference, Ime Udoka echoed Smart’s sentiments, noting that the team is already fully stocked at the point guard position and that the decision to not bring Thomas back was purely from a basketball standpoint.
“Point guard was never really a position of need. Obviously, trading Dennis and getting Derrick back, we filled some of the holes, and obviously, Payton got more of an opportunity there. So, with Marcus playing at the level he is and Payton getting an opportunity, and then Derrick being able to do something, as well as Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen handling quite a bit, point guard was never a position of need,” Udoka said.
Thomas Isn’t The Same Player Anymore
Since leaving the Boston Celtics as part of the Kyrie Irving trade, Thomas has bounced around the league, suiting up for seven different teams, eight if you count his two separate stints with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sandwiched between those appearances, Thomas has spent significant time in the NBA G-League and in the free-agency pool. The veteran guard has also been part of Team-USA for the world cup qualifying rounds. Yet, when watching the former “King of The Fourth” during Boston’s March 9 contest against the Charlotte Hornets, you could clearly see why he’s struggled to cement himself on an NBA roster.
Isaiah Thomas is met with a standing ovation at his first Hornets home game 👏
Thomas has always been reliant on his speed and ability to create separation, primarily off his step-back. With age, hip issues, and wear-and-tear on his body, Thomas has lost a small portion of that explosiveness and speed, and without it, he’s going to struggle shooting over an NBA defense, especially when he’s in the mid-range or attacking the rim. Sure, there were moments where we saw the old Isaiah Thomas shine through, but they were fleeting and nostalgic rather than concerning.
Boston has built a young roster that identity as a defensively tough team, where the offense comes courtesy of stops and rebounds. Adding a diminutive guard doesn’t fit into that identity, and when the team ethos is based around selflessness, bringing back a former fan favorite, who no longer has the same level of skill, is the quickest route to failure. So, maybe it’s for the best that this partnership never rekindles its flame, because that way, the legend of Isaiah Thomas can live on, without a single blemish in the history books.