Isaiah Thomas is new to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that isn’t stopping him from taking on a leadership role.
After being traded to the Cavaliers back in August, Thomas finally made his debut with the team last Tuesday following a lengthy recovery for an injured hip. But upon Thomas’ return, Cleveland has found itself in a bit of slump.
The Cavs were on a tear from late November to early December, which included a 13-game win streak. But the reigning Eastern Conference champions have come back down to Earth since, dropping six of their last nine games.
Most people don’t pay much mind to the Cavaliers’ regular-season struggles, as in the past three campaigns, the team has managed to piece things together and make a run to the NBA Finals. But Thomas isn’t buying into this mindset, instead stressing the team’s need to snap out of its funk.
“I’ve only played three games,” Thomas told Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon. “I can’t say I’ve slipped into that. I’m not the type of player or person to do that. I’m still trying to get back in the thick of things, getting my rhythm, get everything back for me individually. But at the same time as a leader, we can’t have lulls.
“I know everybody says, ‘Well, this happens to this team and they’ve been to three straight Finals.’ But that’s not acceptable. I’m going to do my part to show these guys it’s not acceptable and we’ll go from there.”
Though this Cavs team might not be as talented at past clubs, it’s hard to imagine a team with LeBron James not figuring things out in time for the playoffs.
