Isaiah Thomas: 'I Felt Like I Got my Powers Back' in Lakers Debut

After dropping 22 off the bench, IT was feeling rejuvenated.
Isaiah Thomas: 'I Felt Like I Got my Powers Back' in Lakers Debut
Isaiah Thomas: 'I Felt Like I Got my Powers Back' in Lakers Debut /

After dropping 22 in his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers, newly-acquired Isaiah Thomas is feeling rejuvenated. 

"I wanted to bring something to the table," he told reporters, following a 123–130 loss to Dallas. "I felt like I got my powers back playing on this team."

Thomas, 29, was sent to the Lakers along with a first-round pick on Thursday in a trade deadline deal that netted the Cleveland Cavaliers Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance, Jr. With his new squad on Saturday, he came off the bench and went 7-for-12 from the field with 6 assists in 31 minutes.

He said all the right things afterwards about not starting:

"This is the best they have been playing. I don't want to mess anything up. And I told (coach Luke Walton) that. Whatever he needs me to do, I am willing to do that. Yes, I would love to be a starter. I feel like I deserve that and earned that, but at the same time, it's a new chapter for me. I am here to help this team, help these young guys, continue to be professional, continue to work hard and continue to jell together."

After sitting out the beginning of the season due to a hip injury, the 29-year-old averaged 14.7 points and 4.5 assists in 15 games with Cleveland.


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Kenny Ducey
KENNY DUCEY

Kenny Ducey writes baseball, basketball and off-beat stories for SI.com. He is a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and an editor at Baseball Prospectus.