According to well-known sports journalist Shams, the Lakers will not sign a second 10-day contract with Thomas Jr., who will become a free agent. In the year-end game against the Nets, acting coach Fitzdale seems to have left thomas jr. sitting on the bench behind, and did not give him even a minute to play, so Thomas Jr. dressed in no. 31 once again left the Purple and Gold Army, just like three years ago, mixed with regret and unwillingness.
After the fire line to the Lakers, Thomas Jr. played a total of 4 games for the Lakers, and in the average 25.3 minutes per game, he could get 9.3 points, 2 rebounds and 1.5 assists, but the 22.7% three-point shooting rate was particularly abrupt. I still remember that when they entered the league in early 2011, almost no team was optimistic that the player who was only 175 centimeters tall could gain a foothold in the NBA league, and the Sacramento Kings, who brought Thomas Jr. to the NBA League that year, only had a "scratching prize" mentality, and chose Thomas Jr. with the 60th overall pick in the second round. However, after entering the NBA League, Thomas Jr.'s outstanding performance surprised many people, and in the season when he first entered the league, he was able to deliver an answer sheet of 11.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the average playing time of 25 minutes, and was selected into the roster of the NBA All-Star Rookie Game.
There are ups and downs, there are surprises, there are gains, mixed with countless complex emotions, Thomas Jr. began his own wandering journey, from the small test knife in the sun period to the brilliance of the Green Army period, the "strongest 175 on the surface" has gradually found his own foothold in the NBA league. The 16-17 season was arguably the highlight of Thomas Jr.'s career, averaging 28.9 points per game, the second highest average in Celtics history in a single season, behind Green Army legend Larry Bird. At that time, the complacent Thomas Jr. refused an 4-year, $70 million renewal contract offered by Angie, and threatened: "They are going to use the truck full of banknotes to renew my contract." However, after only 3 months, Thomas Jr. became a chip used by the Green Army to trade Kyrie Irving and was sent to James's side.
History can prove that James and Thomas Jr. are not suitable to play on the same team, when the two joined forces with the Cavaliers, that dark years have been imprinted in the mind of Thomas Jr. like a knife, from the departure of the Cavaliers, Thomas Jr. began his own wandering journey, and this time, his end point is already on the edge of the NBA. After scoring 81 points in a semi-professional game this summer, Thomas Jr. slumped alone in the hallway of the players' aisle, crying loudly and shouting: "They gave up on me!" "At that moment, I don't know how many fans felt sorry for his heartbreak. In fact, with his offensive ability, he can choose to go to overseas leagues to continue his basketball career, but Thomas Jr. is still dreaming of an NBA, because in his mind, every cell in his body belongs to the NBA league, and he is not ready to give up completely.
After receiving Pelinka's invitation call, Thomas Jr.'s heart must have been very excited, but the ten-day journey once again made Little Thomas feel what despair was. Especially in the game against the Spurs, the scheming Popovich old man let his players take turns to "train" Thomas Jr., making him look so unbearable and helpless on the defensive end. This Lakers team that lacked major generals was not the Green Army of the year, and the teammates who were in danger at the defensive end could not help Thomas Jr. to complete the work of assisting the defense, resulting in Thomas Jr.'s shortcomings being infinitely magnified. On the offensive end, Thomas Jr.'s projection stability and ability to break through the half-intercept basket are also far less than they were then, so his departure is actually a predictable thing. In other words, your teammates are already taking care of themselves and scratching their ears and scratching their cheeks on the defensive end, and who can reach out to you?
According to some American media reports, today, there are still some NBA teams that are very interested in Thomas Jr., perhaps, this departure from the Lakers is not the end of Thomas Jr.'s NBA career, of course, it is only "maybe, maybe". In a team with a good defensive system and strong teammates to assist and change defenses, perhaps Thomas Jr. can still find his own place. However, the experience of wearing the purple and gold legion robes in these ten days was just a dream for thomas jr.