Los Angeles Lakers: Why they’ll end up keeping Isaiah Thomas
By Keith Rivas
Now out of LeBron’s shadow, perhaps he’ll regain his identity
There is nothing wrong with second chances whatsoever. After his career took a steep nose dive in Cleveland after returning from injury, a chance for a fresh start with the Los Angeles Lakers is probably what Thomas needed to stay in the NBA past the end of this season.
If the drama with the Cavaliers had continued into the summer and had they ultimately fallen short of winning a title with him still on the roster, the chances of someone going out of their way to sign him would not have been very likely.
Since the Lakers needed to get rid of Jordan Clarkson at the very least, it gave Thomas the golden opportunity to show that he can go back to his ways of leading the charge as he did with the Celtics.
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This point, like almost everything pertaining to the future of Thomas in Los Angeles, is hinging on how he’ll handle the LaVar Ball commentary and what it’ll in turn do to the rest of the players still on the Lakers.
Will he start pointing fingers and complaining, or will he leave it all out on the floor?
Learning how to adjust to the challenges that come with being traded has been something that Thomas hasn’t liked to learn from, but with good reason. He felt betrayed after being exiled from Boston and didn’t fit into a playoff plan in his previous ventures with Phoenix or Sacramento.
Los Angeles presents him with the ultimate challenge in regards to that. The Lakers can’t trade him, and at the very worst he’ll get to ride out the rest of the regular season with this team.
It’s safe to say that it wasn’t all necessarily Thomas’ fault in regards to how the Cavaliers found themselves in meltdown mode, but it does say a lot about how LeBron James affects his teammates.
For Thomas, he needs to accept the fact that he may be the Lakers’ go-to guy off the bench, but with more minutes than you’d normally expect for a non-starter. It will take understanding on his part and an actual game plan to use him effectively from the coaching staff and upper management.
Because as long as he feels wanted and an important part of the overall process and direction of the team, he’ll be happy. Cleveland couldn’t give him that, but Los Angeles has a chance to do so.