Not many NBA teams have the luxury of their last man on the bench having 25 games of playoff experience, but that’s the leadership Isaiah Thomas brings to the Phoenix Suns.
He has logged 15 minutes over five games since joining the Suns, but his locker room and practice presence have been enough to earn a contract through the season’s end.
Thomas joined Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Thursday to discuss the team’s approach in the final week of an 82-game regular season, fighting for postseason positioning.
“With me being around this team the last few weeks and seeing how much firepower we really have, if things really come together in terms of getting the right stride at the right time, I think the world knows how scary we can be,” Thomas said. “I think we just gotta be a little more consistent on both ends of the floor, communicate a little bit more as well, and if we do those things, the sky is the limit for this team each and every day.”
Entering action in the NBA on Thursday, the Suns held the seventh seed in the West standings, just a half-game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for No. 6, the coveted spot above the play-in tournament.
“We talk about getting the sixth seed, that’s something that’s very important to us,” Thomas told Burns & Gambo. “But at the same time, if whatever happens happens and we do have to participate in the play-in, we’re ready for that as well, like we’re not scared of any opportunity … but if not and we get the sixth seed, we’ll be ready for that first-round matchup with whoever it may be.”
Even without a Suns game on Thursday, the standings could shift in a big way. The No. 6 Pelicans play the No. 8 Sacramento Kings, and a Pelicans loss would leave them tied with Phoenix.
Because the Suns have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Pelicans, Phoenix would then be safely outside the play-in picture, at least for the moment.
“Obviously, you wanna worry about yourself, but we’re human. We’re gonna be watching that, I’m gonna be watching it in this hotel room. I think everybody who’s a fan of the game and knows what’s at stake is gonna be watching and tuning into the last few games of the season just to see where we may fall,” Thomas said. “Obviously, we can control our own destiny, we’re taking care of business these next two games, but we definitely are paying attention to what other teams are doing.”
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