Isaiah Thomas is Back

The King in the Fourth has made his long-awaited return. Isaiah Thomas, colloquially known as IT, has inked a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers and will join their active roster once the team is granted a hardship exception due to a COVID outbreak within the organization.

Does this mean much? Not particularly. The Lakers need short-term reinforcements and Thomas would have to go insane in the six games he can play in the next 10 days to secure even another 10-day contract with Los Angeles, much less anything resembling a long-term deal.

But it is the best opportunity Thomas has gotten to return to the NBA full-time since his career collapsed in 2019 following his serious hip injury. It is quite exciting for those who were awestruck by IT's extraordinary and unexpected flash of stardom for two years with the Celtics. The Little Guy, as he was affectionally dubbed by the local broadcast team, made the impossible look easy. There have been very few players like him in NBA history.

Basketball is more fun with him in it. Thomas dropped 42 points in his G-League debut earlier this week. It was a throwback to the old days, with Thomas darting around his man to soar into the paint and lay the ball in off an impossible angle, kissing it off the glass.

Hopefully, he can stick around. It's his best shot yet, and it very well may be his last.