Isaiah Thomas brings heart, grit to the Denver Nuggets

“I’ve been the smallest player on every court I’ve ever been on. But I don’t feel small, I feel as big as everybody else.” -Isaiah Thomas, Denver Nuggets

Isaiah Thomas has never been a large man. But he’ll be the first to downplay the importance of build. A short player with heart-of-a-lion tenacity can pay huge dividends. Heart over height, as pick up-ballers say these days.

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Isaiah proved exactly that in the 2016-17 playoffs. Thomas led the Celtics to thrilling series wins over Chicago and Washington, despite the tragic loss of his sister. Isaiah pushed Boston to overcome a 2-0 deficit to rally past the Bulls in the first round. Next segment, he spearheaded a gritty seven-game series victory over Washington, (Basketball Reference) pouring in 29 points and 12 assists in the decisive Game 7 (ESPN).

Drafted dead-last in 2011 as a Hail-Mary attempt, IT entered the league with zero expectations. He was forced to build himself through Sacramento’s ranks before breaking out in 2013-14.

Thomas should have failed…both early-career, and in the 2016-17 playoffs. But his mammoth-sized, basketball heart stubbornly refused the status quo.

This year, Isaiah’s heart is needed once more. Both for the revival of his career, and the benefit of his new team. IT’s value tumbled to the floor after a dip in 2017-18. Denver missed the playoffs the past two years by a combined two games. The fit is perfect.

The Nuggets possess one the NBA’s best young cores. Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray each show potential for scary-good careers. As with many young players, however, they lack the closing tenacity required for NBA success. Denver lost 15 games by 7 points or less last year (ESPN).

Isaiah, the little man with the giant heart, is Denver-bound. The Mile High prepares itself for the show. A career-year (in proportion to minutes played) is not unreasonable…Thomas has much to prove, and the dude is angry-determined.

Given his history of overcoming adversity, Isaiah knows what he is doing. He will arrive in Denver, lifting himself up by the shoe-strings and back onto the NBA map. IT will push Denver to success, serving as the courageous warrior Mile High has lacked since the Melo and Chauncey era. Jokic, Murray and Harris will surround him curiously.

You can bet they will have their notebooks.

By selecting Denver, Isaiah agreed to defer to Jokic. IT alone won’t equal a playoff return..but he will certainly help matters. Thomas will chip away at Denver’s make-up…raising the bar on attitude, approach to adversity, and performance in the spotlight. He will teach Denver’s youngsters to stare down fear and succeed anyway.

Look for Isaiah to quietly lift Denver back to the playoffs, as he’s resurrecting himself. This is a match from basketball heaven.