May
31
In news that should come as a surprise to no one,
HoopsHype is reporting the Trail Blazers will work out Washington's Isaiah Thomas on June 6. So far Thomas is the only player that HoopsHype has working out for the Trail Blazers, though the team has yet to release to the public the names of participants or dates of workouts.
For those of you unfamiliar with his game, Thomas is a relatively short (he measured out at just 5-9 in socks at the combine) yet powerful point guard similar in stature to fellow Husky Nate Robinson. Unlike Robinson, Thomas actually plays point guard (at least when Venoy Overton would let him), which is why I assume he's getting a look. We don't really need another shooting guard, let alone a shooting guard who is under 6-0.
He averaged
16.8 points and 6.1 assists his junior year. Decent numbers. The 2-1 assist/turnover ratio isn't bad, but it's certainly nothing to write home about. Same goes for the 35 percent shooting from the 3-point line. The Huskies did make the NCAA Tournament in all three of Thomas' seasons at Washington, so I suppose he figures it's about time to move on. He does have one year of eligibility left.
Thomas getting a workout makes a ton of sense on a couple levels. He's a point guard who can get to the basket, which addresses two areas of need right from the jump. He's super tight with Brandon Roy (Brandon has told me numerous time that they talk and text quite often), so you know he's got at least one guy in the organization talking him up. And finally, he's from Seattle, which improves your chances of getting a contract from the Trail Blazers tenfold. That's a joke. Kind of.