Saturday marked the Los Angeles Lakers debut of the newly-acquired Isaiah Thomas and he let it be known immediately what he is capable of. Thomas finished with 22 points, 16 in the first half, to go along with six assists.
Unfortunately for Thomas and the Lakers, they were unable to come out with a win as they fell 130-123 to the Dallas Mavericks. Despite the loss, Thomas flashed his offensive skill, knocking down seven of his 12 shots including four of eight from 3-point range.
Following the game, Thomas spoke about his debut, believing he played fine individually and explaining that he is looking forward to what the future holds as he becomes more comfortable with the Lakers, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I mean, individually I think I played OK. I wish we would’ve come out with the win, that would’ve even been better. But we’ll learn from this and figure out ways to win down the stretch. Knowing this a young team, we made a few key mistakes defensively down the stretch that probably cost us the game. We’ll learn from it, watch the film and figure things out. I like the pace of this team, I like the energy the guys bring, and coach did the best job he could to put me in position to play to my strengths. … As I get more familiar with the guys and playbook, I think it’ll be even better. Especially in close games, executing down the stretch. … I felt like I got my powers back playing on this team now.”
Thomas resembling the player he was a year ago in Boston as opposed to what he showed during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers would be a major addition for the Lakers.
Incorporating him into the fold will take time, but the Lakers could definitely use someone of his skill, especially after dealing Clarkson away.
Whether or not Thomas remains a reserve or works his way into the starting lineup remains to be seen, but if he can build off of his debut performance, the Lakers will be extremely happy with their return on the trade.
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