Why Isaiah Thomas deserved his call back to the NBA

35-year-old veteran guard Isaiah Thomas returned to the NBA after two years away from the league, having signed a ten-day contract with the Phoenix Suns.

As reported by the NBA website, Thomas made little impact in his first game back against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 20^th, logging one assist in one minute and 48 seconds.

Obviously, the Suns don't need more elite shooters when they have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, so what has Thomas been signed for?

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According to The Athletic, former Suns assistant Corey Gaines, a man who coached Thomas the last time he was at the Suns, believes his never-say-die attitude and the chip on his shoulder are why the Suns have signed him.

"I know everybody thinks the Suns need defense, but truthfully, he's a little dog, and I think they need that. I think they need someone who has a chip on their shoulder. I'm not saying they need somebody to score — they got that."

At 5ft9 in a league full of giants, Thomas has been overlooked his whole career, but that has never stopped him from trying to defy the odds again and return to the NBA after two years away.

Arizona Sports reported that when Thomas was asked why he kept trying after so much rejection, the guard said: "The love. The love for the game. I love it so much. Every time I step on the floor I get that same feeling. It puts a smile on my face."

His new teammate Bradley Beal said: "He's always been a worker. He's always going to be a hooper. He's one that lives it out. He's a prime example to kids and a lot of people who just go out and keep pushing. No matter if people tell you no."

Thomas deserved his call back to the NBA because he was counted out for being 'too small for the big leagues,' subsequently being drafted as the 60^th and last pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, The Athletic reports.

The Sacramento Kings were the team that gave him a chance, and he didn't disappoint, becoming a starter midway through his rookie season and then averaging 20.3 points per game by the time he was playing in his third year.

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According to Arizona Sports, a failed three-guard experiment between Thomas, Goran Dragic, and Eric Bledsoe meant Thomas was quickly moved in and out of the Phoenix Suns after one season in 2014-15 before moving to Boston.

Thomas would become a star in Boston and known as an "elite crunch time scorer," the Boston website reports. The 5ft9 guard earned two consecutive All-Star appearances in two seasons and became the sixth Celtic ever to score 2000 points in a season, in 2017 (2,199).

In the 2017 season, Thomas averaged 28.9 PPG and 5.9 APG, finishing fifth in the MVP voting and leading the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Athletic reported that Thomas had a severely injured hip during the playoff run in 2017 and refused to get surgery after being traded to the Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving.

Thomas's right hip injury proved to be debilitating and damaged his NBA career, spending his next few seasons bouncing around teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Washington Wizards.

Despite his bad hip and an NBA team's lack of ambition to bring him in longer than ten days, Thomas has continued to push through and has finally been given his chance to prove he belongs in the NBA.

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