It was almost yesteryear Isaiah Thomas was filling baskets and the hearts of Boston Celtics fans with joy.
The Denver Nuggets guard is expected to appear on the TD Garden court Monday night for the first time as an active player since the Celtics traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer 2017. The Celtics likely will show a tribute video during the game, recognizing the tremendous impact Thomas made during his two-and-a-half seasons with the team.
Many of the highlights undoubtedly will come from 2016-17, a season in which Thomas cemented a legacy in Boston. NBA TV compiled a highlight video of his top-10 plays from his final season in Boston, and he shared it on Twitter and vowed to return to his previous form.
When the opportunity comes around I’ll be more than ready to take it back to the top https://t.co/jQwl9BukxS
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) March 18, 2019
Thomas, 30, has battled a longstanding hip problem for almost two years, and he might never reach his goal of becoming an All-Star again. Nevertheless, he deserves all the acclaim Boston is ready to shower him with for the fact he overcame the odds and blossomed into one of the NBA’s best scorers for a period in time.