Since signing a short 10-day contract with the Pelicans last season, joining the Lakers is is isaiah Thomas's first chance to return to the league, and on December 18, Beijing time, the Lakers against the Timberwolves, Thomas Jr. also got his "NBA debut" opportunity.
Even though it was a game at the timberwolves' home stadium, and Thomas Jr. had never played for the Timberwolves in his career, the fans gave Thomas Jr. a warm welcome and applause:
In this "debut" game again as a Lakers player, Thomas Jr. can have 19 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block on 5-of-12 shooting after 22 minutes off the bench, in addition to 6-of-2 shooting from outside the three-point line and 7 of 9 free throws on the free throw line.
In terms of the course of the game, Thomas Jr. can still maintain a good state after returning to the game, which is also the contribution he can currently make to the Lakers. After all, players like Malik Munch and Kendrick Nunn in the Lakers team continue to miss the game, and the presence of Thomas Jr. is indeed an ideal candidate for the Lakers' bench.
Considering what Thomas Jr. has suffered over the past few years, it's really a moving sight to be able to return to the NBA and perform well. So for Thomas Jr., if he can still play well enough in this Lakers team in future games, even if the Lakers can't give him a standard contract, I believe that there will still be many teams in the league that will be interested in veteran players like Thomas Jr.
Of course, the premise of arousing the interest of other teams is that Thomas Jr. can continue to get playing time and performance in the next few games for the Lakers, after all, Thomas Jr. signed only a short 10-day contract, and he must also seize the opportunity to play in each game.