Thursday 19 September 2019 06:57, UK
Washington Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas will be out six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured ligament in his left thumb on Wednesday. He suffered the injury on Monday in workouts.
"This was an unfortunate setback for Isaiah, but with his resolve and the top care he will receive from our medical team, we expect him to make a full recovery," Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard said in a release. "In the meantime, he will continue to mentor our young guards and have a positive impact on the team as we start training camp."
Given the rehab timetable, Thomas will miss the season opener in Dallas on October 23.
The Wizards signed Thomas to a one-year deal in July.
Thomas, 30, is a two-time All-Star who appeared headed to superstar status when he averaged 28.9 points per game for Boston in 2016-17, leading the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, he sustained a hip injury in the second game of the Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thomas missed the rest of that series, won 4-1 by Cleveland win, then was traded to the Cavs in the August 2017 deal that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston.
Thomas was limited to 15 games for Cleveland due to the hip ailment, and he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2018. He appeared in 17 games for the Lakers before undergoing season-ending right hip surgery in March 2018.
A free agent that summer, Thomas signed a one-year, $2m deal with the Denver Nuggets, but he struggled through another injury-plagued season. He played in just 12 games, all in the season's second half, and averaged 8.1 points and 1.9 assists.
In 485 career games (324 starts), Thomas is averaging 18.6 points, 5.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds.
