Must C’s: Isaiah Thomas drops 42 in G-League debut, signs 10-day contract with Lakers

Does this look familiar, Celtics fans?:

Isaiah Thomas scored 42 points with eight assists and six rebounds in his G-League Showcase debut with the Grand Rapids Gold last night.

Thomas has had flirtations with returning to the NBA after a ten-day stint in New Orleans last season. Before training camps opened in the fall, IT had workouts with the Warriors, Mavericks, and Lakers. Before that, it was reported that the Celtics were interested in bringing back the King of the 4th over the summer. He’s also repped Team USA in the Americup and World Cup qualifying teams this year.

However, since leaving Boston in 2017, he hasn’t re-captured that magic of his MVP season. Even after hip surgery and a lengthy rehab, the 32-year-old has bounced around the league, but as he’d put it, it’s a “slow grind.”

When asked by Stadium’s Shams Charania about his potential return to the NBA, Thomas said, “I’m beyond motivated and it’s not motivated by anything else but the love of the game. I love the game so much that I’m going to do whatever it takes to get back to where I truly believe where I belong and where I deserve to be. I just want another chance while being healthy. That’s all I want.”

After another big performance last night, we wouldn’t doubt if IT’s phone was blowing up right now.

UPDATE: After last night’s performance, Thomas will sign a 10-day hardship exemption contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. LA has several players in the league’s health and safety protocols, including Dwight Howard, Malik Monk, Talen Horton-Tucker, and now Russell Westbrook.