Celtics hire Isaiah Thomas as pro and college scout
Isaiah Thomas, the fearless 5-foot-9-inch level guard who captivated followers at TD Garden and grew to become some of the beloved Celtics of this century, has rejoined the group that helped flip him right into a famous person.
According to league sources, Thomas has been employed as a pro and college scout for the Celtics. He will likely be based mostly within the Seattle space, his hometown, giving president of basketball operations Brad Stevens reinforcements on the West Coast.
The workforce’s regional scouting workers consists of former Hawks government Derek Pierce, who is predicated within the Atlanta space, and Keandre Ashley, who’s in Dallas. Benas Matkevicius leads the Celtics’ worldwide scouting operation.
Sources stated Thomas, 37, has joined Celtics executives on the NBA Combine this week in Chicago, the place he has helped interview draft prospects whereas additionally studying concerning the total analysis course of.
Thomas was acquired from the Suns in February 2015 and virtually immediately revitalized the Celtics, changing into a cornerstone of their swift rebuild. Stevens has credited him with serving to set up the tradition that turned the Celtics into one of many NBA’s most profitable franchises of the previous decade.
Thomas was an All-Star in 2015-16, and 2016-17, when he additionally completed fifth in MVP voting and was named second-team All-NBA. Along the way in which, he captured the hearts of the fan base together with his relentless fashion of play that belied his dimension.
But within the spring of 2017, he performed by way of a major hip damage for a lot of the playoffs earlier than being shut down for the ultimate three video games of the loss to the Cavaliers within the Eastern Conference finals.
That August, Thomas was traded to Cleveland within the deal that introduced Kyrie Irving to Boston. Hip points plagued Thomas for the remainder of his profession. Over a seven-year span he had stints with the Cavaliers, Lakers (twice), Nuggets, Wizards, Pelicans, Mavericks, Hornets, and Suns. Thomas final performed within the NBA throughout the 2023-24 season, when he appeared in six video games for Phoenix.
Adam Himmelsbach may be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. observe him @adamhimmelsbach.