Ex-Celtic Isaiah Thomas erupts for 40 points in G League return

Ex-Celtic Isaiah Thomas erupts for 40 points in G League return originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Here’s your semi-annual reminder that Isaiah Thomas can still ball.

The 35-year-old guard, who played his best basketball with the Boston Celtics from 2015 to 2017, made his debut for the Salt Lake City Stars on Tuesday night after joining the Utah Jazz’ G League affiliate earlier this week.

And he made quite the first impression.

Thomas poured in 40 points on 13-for-28 shooting while adding eight assists, two steals and a block in SLC’s 122-115 loss to the Valley Suns. The two-time All-Star made 4 of 10 3-pointers and hit all five of his free throws.

This is actually Thomas’ second stint with Salt Lake City; he joined the G League club last March and averaged 32.5 points and 5.3 assists over four games before earning an NBA contract with the Phoenix Suns. Thomas spent the rest of the 2023-24 season in Phoenix, appearing in six regular-season games and one playoff game.

If Thomas continues to light it up for the Stars, perhaps he’ll get another call from an NBA team looking to bolster its bench for the 2024-25 stretch run. Unfortunately for Celtics fans, a reunion in Boston seems unlikely, as the C’s have a surplus of guard depth in Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Payton Pritchard and Jaden Springer.

Still, Thomas will forever be part of Celtics lore. After coming to Boston nearly ten years ago at the February 2015 NBA trade deadline, “The Little Guy” led the Celtics in scoring for two straight seasons. His 28.9 points per game during the 2016-17 campaign led the entire Eastern Conference, and his postseason heroics helped carry Boston to the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals.

Injuries have hampered Thomas ever since, as he’s played on nine NBA teams over the last seven seasons. But with more performances like Tuesday night’s, that list could grow to 10 very soon.