The leading scorer in the Eastern Conference won’t be starting in the NBA All-Star Game.
That’d be Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas, who entered Friday averaging 28.7 points and six assists per game yet couldn’t beat out Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan for a starting spot in the East’s backcourt.
Thomas still should make the All-Star roster, but many saw his omission from the starting lineup as a pretty big snub. So, how did Thomas take the news? Unsurprisingly, the 5-foot-9 point guard said he’ll add the slight to his bulletin board.
“It is what it is,” Thomas said, via ESPN.com’s Chris Forsberg. “I’ll use it as motivation. I’ll keep going. I’ve got to get better. So, that’s all I took out of that is: I’m not where I want to be.”
Thomas sent out a tweet late Friday morning supporting that opinion.
Thomas long has played with a chip on his shoulder and has made a habit of silencing doubters. But the 27-year-old veteran decided to end things on a diplomatic note.
“I can’t do nothing about it,” Thomas said. “I’m trying to change it up now where I stop worrying about things I can’t control. I’ve done everything I possibly could to put myself in a position to be able to start in the All-Star Game and it didn’t happen so I’ve just got to get back in the gym and keep working.
“Like I always say, I’m gonna just keep going. I appreciate everybody who voted for me, especially you guys, the media showed me some love. And then my peers, my peers showed me love too. So it hurt, but I’ll be all right. I’ll just use it as motivation.”
Thumbnail photo via Tom Szczerbowski/USA TODAY Sports Images
