The Phoenix Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 115-102, on Wednesday night and the victory featured a well-known, returning NBA star.
Isaiah Thomas played for the Suns for the first time after signing a 10-day contract with the team.
Following the game, Kevin Durant told Gerald Bourguet and the press about his admiration of Thomas and all he has done during his many years in the league.
Specifically talking about his work ethic and how he has respected the 35-year-old star since he was a teenager, Durant said that he hopes Thomas’ drive rubs off on the rest of the Suns.
“The story that he has, his career that he’s been through has inspired basketball players around the world,” Durant said.
“The story that he has, his career that he’s been through has inspired basketball players around the world.”
Kevin Durant said he’s known Isaiah Thomas since he was 17 years old, and he’s been the same worker since then. KD believes that work ethic will rub off on the Suns: pic.twitter.com/OT0NYARUYW
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) March 21, 2024
Thomas didn’t get much time to show off his skills during Wednesday’s game, playing for slightly under two minutes and not scoring any points.
But just because his first game was a quiet one doesn’t mean that Thomas won’t be doing a lot more soon.
The Suns signed Thomas to a 10-day contract because they want more help scoring off the bench and they envisioned him as a helpful tool who can lead the second unit at times.
This won’t be his first time in Phoenix, as he played for the team during the 2014-15 season when he averaged 15.2 points per game.
Thomas hasn’t played in the NBA since 2022 but he recently impressed during his brief stint with the Salt Lake City Stars in the NBA G League.
During his games with the Stars, Thomas recorded 32.5 points per game.
Throughout his career, Thomas has shown that he has a level of aggression and determination that just doesn’t stop, no matter the odds stacked against him.
That will come in handy for the Suns as the postseason begins.
But before Thomas can get to that point, he has to impress the team during his 10-day tenure.
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