isaiah thomas has been on the Cleveland Cavaliers since August last year, but he hasn't appeared in a single game yet. Thomas has been out since the playoffs, but he's been working hard on improving his condition and coming back. The point guard even tried to force his team to play him against the Sacramento Kings last week, but he was kept on the sidelines.
Now, the situation is much better and it appears that Isaiah Thomas is back at 100 percent. The guard is ready to finally make his long-awaited Cavaliers debut, and Cavs fans will be happy to hear that his return is just around the corner.
As a matter of fact, Thomas will be playing in the first Cavaliers game of this season as the team is hosting the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night.
Isaiah Thomas' return
Isaiah Thomas and Cavaliers fans have been looking forward to his return, and finally, it is happening. Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported that Thomas will make his Cavaliers debut Tuesday night against the Trail Blazers. This will be the first game for the Cavaliers this year, and it will also be the first game for the point guard in a Cavs jersey.
Isaiah Thomas will make his season debut Tuesday vs POR, per Ty Lue. He'll come off the bench and be under a minute restriction. He will not play vs BOS.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 1, 2018
Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue made it clear that Thomas, despite being a projected starter, will come off the bench and his minutes will be restricted.
Of course, this won't be the case over the course of the season as Thomas will eventually make his way into the starting lineup. However, the Cavaliers have to be careful now and make sure that he doesn't suffer another injury. Fans should expect to see at least 15 minutes of action for Isaiah Thomas, and he might spend more time on the floor if the Cavaliers manage to gain a huge lead over the Trail Blazers.
It is interesting that Lue decided to play Thomas against Portland, yet the point guard will get a night off against the Boston Celtics, his former team. Many fans expected to see Thomas make his Cavs debut against the Celtics, but it seems that it won't happen. Considering that the Cavaliers will play in Boston on a second night of a back-to-back, this doesn't come as a surprise.
How many games will Thomas play in?
Even though Thomas will be sidelined against the Celtics, we will probably see him play in at least 10 games this month. The Cavaliers have 14 games in January, and only three of them will be on the second night of a back-to-back. In addition, there will be five games where the team will have a three-day rest, so we can expect Thomas to play in them.
