Isaiah Thomas Reflects on Last 2 Years, Why He Picked Wizards After 1st Start

Isaiah Thomas made his first start for the Washington Wizards in their 115-99 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, and the 30-year-old was grateful after the game:

Thomas' first appearance with the team was Oct. 26, and he has played four straight games. Against the Pistons, he posted nine points, six assists, two rebounds, one block and one steal across 24 minutes.

Washington signed Thomas to a one-year deal during free agency in July. The two-time All-Star was coming off two down years, splitting the 2017-18 campaign between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers before playing last season with the Denver Nuggets.

Thomas didn't debut for the Nuggets until Feb. 13 and was taken out of the rotation by mid-March. He played just 12 games for Denver and didn't start one of them.

In August 2017, Thomas was traded by the Boston Celtics to the Cavaliers as part of the Kyrie Irving deal. Thomas' start to that season was delayed while he recovered from a right hip injury, and he played just 15 games. He made his Cavs debut Jan. 2, 2018, before Cleveland shipped him to L.A. on Feb. 8.

Thomas played 17 games for the Lakers before undergoing hip surgery.

All this happened after Thomas had the best season of his career in 2016-17, averaging a career-high 28.9 points as well as 5.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds across 76 games (all starts). Thomas aggravated his injured hip in the playoffs against the Cavs and missed the final three games of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard said in July the organization was happy to help Thomas reestablish his worth.

"This is an ideal fit for both us and Isaiah," Sheppard said, per NBA.com. "He is eager to show he has regained the form that made him one of the most effective and unique players in the league and we can provide the opportunity to allow him to do so within the framework of our team concept. We value his leadership and experience."

The Wizards need Thomas as much as Thomas needs them, as starting point guard John Wall remains out while recovering from a torn Achilles suffered early this year.