Watch: Revisiting Isaiah Thomas' debut in his first spell for the LA Lakers in 2018, as the 5'9 guard dropped 22 points vs Dallas Mavericks
Isaiah Thomas makes a return to the LA Lakers after spending a season with the purple and gold franchise in 2018. According to Shams Charania, the veteran guard signed a 10-day contract under the hardship exemption.
The King in the Fourth, had joined the Lakers after a short stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made his debut on Feb. 10, 2018, against the Dallas Mavericks and was featured for 30 minutes whilst coming off the bench.
(2018) Isaiah Thomas put up 22 PTS & 6 ASTS in his Lakers debut.
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Isaiah Thomas registered 22 points in that game while completing 6 assists, one rebound and one steal. He was 4 out of 8 from beyond the arc, recording a 50% accuracy from beyond the arc, while posting a 58.3% field goal percentage.
He sunk all 4 free throws attempted and was a strong force for the Lakers coming off the bench. The amazing performance from Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram and Isaiah Thomas was not enough to give the Lakers the advantage over the Mavericks as they lost by a 7-point differential.
Isaiah Thomas' first spell with the LA Lakers
Isaiah Thomas made his way to the NBA in the 2011 NBA draft. He was a second-round selection by the Sacramento Kings and was the 60th overall pick in the draft. He spent his first three years in the league with the Kings before a short spell with the Phoenix Suns in 2015.
Having made 46 appearances for the Suns, he was traded to the Boston Celtics for a first-round pick in the 2016 draft along with Marcus Thornton. Isaiah Thomas spent 3 seasons with the Celtics and recorded the best stats of his career, securing 2 All-Star selections.
He was later traded to the Cavaliers on Aug. 22 and made 15 appearances for the franchise before he was shipped off to the Lakers. The 5-feet 9-inches point guard featured in only 17 games for the Lakers and made the starting lineup just once.
Thomas is planning to sign a 10-day contract under the hardship exemption, sources said. twitter.com/ShamsCharania/…
In his time with the Lakers, Isaiah Thomas posted 15.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He had a 38.3 field goal percentage, having completed 5.1 out of 13.4 field goal attempts. He also recorded a three-point percentage of 32.7, while he netted 3.4 of 3.7 free throws, securing a 92.1% accuracy from the charity stripe.
The Lakers have been without Rajon Rondo for 10 out of the last 11 games played by the Lakers. Isaiah Thomas should be a good fit, offering the team an extra pair of crafty veteran eyes to make good reads.