Isaiah Thomas’ stint with Denver Nuggets in 2018/19 was all but successful, as the veteran point guard played only 12 games for the team in the whole season. Still, it seems like he wasn’t without meaningful contributions to the Nuggets organization despite warming the bench most of the time.
Nuggets head coach Mike Malone recently discussed Thomas’ role on the team last season, saying that he made “instrumental” contributions and that the team missed him in 2019/20.
“It was my second time coaching Isaiah and what I think people probably don’t realize is we miss I.T.,” – Malone told reporters on Tuesday. “His personality, his voice, his leadership, his presence I thought was instrumental on our team last year.”
Thomas spent a significant portion of his time in Denver rehabbing from hip surgery, which affected his playing time upon return. Malone ended up taking him out of the rotation completely towards the end of the season in order to maximize the development of backup Monte Morris.
“He handled himself with unbelievable maturity and professionalism and all our young players really benefited from him being around,” – Malone added. “[We] definitely miss having him and more importantly, I’m happy that he’s healthy and back playing and playing at a high level.”
Isaiah Thomas ended up leaving Denver in the summer, signing a deal with Washington Wizards. It looks like this was a good decision, as he is playing really well early in the season. Thomas is currently averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 assists.
