Robb: Celtics Remain Confident Isaiah Thomas Will Regain His Rhythm
BOSTON (CBS) – One day after a discouraging defeat against the Miami Heat, Isaiah Thomas returned to the practice floor with his teammates for the first time in weeks. The 5-foot-8 point guard played for the first time in over three weeks on Wednesday night, but his rust and limited mobility left many wondering if the 26-year-old came back too soon from an ugly back injury.
Thomas played just a season-low 20 minutes with the Celtics, managing a meager four points and recording no other stats in the box score besides turnovers. After watching his sixth man labor through the first three quarters, Brad Stevens elected to turn to Phil Pressey to captain Boston's offense in the pivotal contest.
No one expected Thomas to be the 21-point per game scorer in his first game back that Celtics fan had witnessed in his first 10 games in green. However, teammates noticed something still wasn't quite right with the youngster.
"We all can tell that [he was off]," Jae Crowder said Thursday. "He's just gotta get everything back, get his rhythm back, get his wind back. I know the game's probably moving 1,000 miles per hour for him out there, with him sitting out two weeks or whatever. It will take a little time, but I think this practice will help, and him watching film will help, and he'll be fine."
Boston's second unit offense had been largely dependent on Thomas to create opportunities for himself and his teammates prior to the injury, and that's a trap the team appeared to fall into on Wednesday night.
"We got stagnant with him in the game and we just depended on him to try to break the defense down, as you can see," Crowder admitted. "But he wasn't feeling it. So we have to find other ways that we can attack the defense, other than just get him in a pick-and-roll. When he's not feeling it like that, just give him a chance to gradually come back instead of forcing him into it like he was before the injury. So we've got to work together and make him better as he makes everyone else around him better."
A couple off days sandwiched between an easy match-up against the New York Knicks Friday night should help Thomas get back into the flow a bit. Still, with Boston's playoff prospects on the line in the next few weeks, Stevens can't afford to give Thomas much leeway on the court if he's hurting the team while returning to form. The former Sun has admitted he's not near 100 percent health yet and likely won't be for the remainder of the year.
"I go with the player and the doctors and the trainers, and then you trust the process from there," Stevens said Thursday on how he evaluates the health of his players on the court." I thought, and even talking to him last night, he said he didn't feel too bad physically. It was more that he just didn't have it.
"We talked a little bit this morning about some things that he can control so he doesn't have to worry about coming back and saving the day. He just has to worry about fitting in and being a good part of our puzzle, and I think that that should take some heat off of him to feel like he's got to do a lot more than that."
With tough tests awaiting against the Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers next week, Thomas will need to find his rhythm quickly. His teammates will also need to help him out and show up on both ends of the floor for a full 48 minutes, something that did not happen on Wednesday night. Only then will Boston's unlikely postseason push end on a happy note.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
