Boston Celtics Today: Isaiah Thomas Receives Praise from LeBron James
Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas has been tearing it up offensively this season and has gained recognition from LeBron James.
All the talk about the Boston Celtics being better without Isaiah Thomas can stop. Since returning from a hamstring injury, the All-Star point guard has been lights out, including a 52-point performance in a win over the Miami Heat last Friday.
So for all those who say the Celtics don’t have a superstar player silence yourselves, because Thomas is playing at a high level and the NBA’s best player, LeBron James, feel they have a player to build a team around.
More from Boston Celtics
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Blake Griffin Angling Hard to Re-Sign With Celtics
- Game-by-Game Predictions for the Celtics’ 2023-24 In-Season Tournament Schedule
- Kristaps Porzingis’ Foot Injury is a Problem Despite Celtics’ Optimism
- Marcus Smart, Grant Williams and Ime Udoka all Returning to Boston on 2023-24 Schedule
"“They got a clear-cut star, and that’s Isaiah (Thomas),” James told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “The notion that they don’t have a star I think is fugazi, as Donnie Brasco wuld say. Earlier I was watching the movie. So, they’re a good team for a reason, and it starts with the head of the snake, and that’s Isaiah.”"
That head of the snake is averaging 27.7 points and 6.1 assists per game for the Celtics. He is on pace for one of best scoring seasons in Celtics history and should get the nod to start in the NBA All-Star Game next month.
Notes & quotes
Out due to illness: There is a bug going through the Celtics organization. Boston Marcus Smart and center Tyler Zeller were admitted to New England Baptist Hospital Sunday with a gastrointestinal bug.
The hospitalization came after Avery Bradley missed Friday’s game due to the illness and Jae Crowder nearly missed the Christmas Day game because of the bug. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens addressed the issue on Monday.
"“We’ve had staff members, players — everybody’s been dealing with it. It’s one of those things when you hang out together all the time,” Stevens said via ESPN. “Jay Larranaga missed the last two games and nobody asked. I told him that, too. He had [the stomach bug], too. It’s just been going around.”"
Isaiah Thomas on James Harden’s 53-point performance via Masslive.com:
"“He didn’t even let me get 24 hours of shine. He had to kill my little shine. But that was unbelievable what he did. I mean, that’s probably never going to happen again.”"
Next: Danny Amendola Nearing Postseason Return
The Boston Celtics will next host the Utah Jazz Tuesday night at TD Garden.