Last Season: A hip injury derailed Isaiah Thomas’s 2017-18 season, in which he played for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and L.A. Lakers. He missed the first 36 games of the season, and then never quite got comfortable with his new team, the Cavaliers. Thomas played 17 games for the Lakers, averaging 15.6 points before shutting himself down in March to undergo arthroscopic hip surgery.
2018-19 Outlook: The last time Thomas was even mostly healthy for a regular season – the 2016-17 campaign – he was an All-Star, who put up eye-popping averages of 28.9 points, 5.9 assists, and shot 46 percent from the field, 38 percent from the 3-point line and 90 percent from the free throw line. Thomas’s ability to perform is not in question. All that matters is his health.
As far as fitting in with the Nuggets, Thomas is working from two advantages: 1) He has played for coach Michael Malone before, and, at the time, had the most productive season in his career; and 2) Heading up the second unit, he’ll have the freedom to seek out shots and can work a ton out of pick-and-roll, which he excels in.
Bold Prediction: Thomas will be the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.
Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tvand @chrisadempsey on Twitter.