Isaiah Thomas is ready for his moment in the spotlight with the Boston Celtics. The point guard put on an impressive offseason of work and looking to help lead the Celtics into a new era for the team. Whether that is coming off the bench or playing as a starter, he is open to either role. Thomas' role on the team has been brought into question heading into the new year as he plans to compete with Marcus Smart in training camp.
The Celtics drafted Smart to take over for Rajon Rondo. However, they acquired Thomas who thrived in the Sixth Man role, putting up more points than the starters. Heading into the new year, it has been debated whether Thomas should be playing as the starter or the bench player. For his part, the point guard told the media he is open to any role as long as the team is winning.
"It's not tough. I tell you all the time because you guys ask all the time," Thomas said, via the Boston Herald. "I would love to be a starter, but it's not the end of the world. As long as I'm out there, getting the minutes I deserve, I'm all for it. I'm all for the team and what it takes to win - and that's an honest answer."
The Celtics certainly have a lot of options to consider when it comes to making their starting lineup. The team signed a lot of depth in the offseason instead of marquee players, making the decision tough on head coach Brad Stevens. There are a lot of backcourt options with Evan Turner and Avery Bradley. James Young is also an option at shooting guard. While the team has been linked to several marquee trade deals including DeMarcus Cousins and Markieff Morris, the Celtics would rather retain their depth and let the players battle it out for the starting role. Stevens said everything will be much more clear during camp.
"On every good team you're going to have discussions like that," Stevens said, via the Herald. On every good team that's challenging to be better is going to have depth. We're going to have good players on our team and not all of them are going to play. That's the hard part of the job in some ways. But I'm not here to pre-determine everything."
Stevens did make it clear that while Thomas did a lot of improving in the offseason, Smart also made a lot of moves forward. Stevens likes the idea of having Thomas as an offensive-minded point guard and Smart as more of a defensive-minded point guard. The second-year pro put in the work this offseason to make improvements and Stevens is noticing.
"I see the daily work that he puts in, so he's getting better," Stevens said, via NESN.com. "He can still get a lot better. Obviously defensively, I've said this from day one: he's way ahead of the curve for a 21-year-old. Defensively - on and off the ball - he's outstanding, and he's continuing to get better on the offensive end. Because he's very capable; it's just about picking the right spots."
