[Old General Record] Thomas Jr.: A flash in the pan assassin!

You may not have expected that the three Celtics will be led by Rajon Rondo in the end. You may not have expected that the Celtics in the post-Big Three era may have been in a bad position for several years just to get one or two super rookies who are enough to serve as the core of reconstruction. But you may never have expected that the appearance of one person will prevent the team from being disastrous, and even shoulder the banner of reconstruction.

And he is a 60th pick and a small man who is only 175 in height.

Recalling Thomas Jr.'s Celtic career, he was told about the deal at the last minute of the trading deadline for the 2014-15 season. He hurriedly got off the team bus and packed his bags, then headed to Boston, which was still icy and snowy in February, and even bought the cold coat on the way to the airport.

In the first game of wearing the Celtics' jersey, the opponent was the Celtics' nemesis Lakers. Thomas, who came on as a substitute, left the court early due to two skilled fouls, handed over 21 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. This is his starting point for the Celtics.

"Hey! Brother, Celtic fans will definitely fall in love with you!"

"What are you talking about? How could they fall in love with me?"

"You scored 21 points and were kicked out by the referee, but Boston likes this kind of person!"

Thomas Jr. published an article in April 2016. At the beginning of the article, he described the conversation between the team's physical trainer in the locker room after he was kicked out of the Celtics' debut.

The young Thomas was still puzzled by this, but three days later, he understood the trainer's meaning. He saw photos of Russell and Larry Bird on the wall of the passage of the TD Garden Stadium, looked up and saw 17 championship flags, and heard the enthusiastic cheers of fans all over the field. Even if he had only joined the Celtics for less than a week, the Celtics fans still regarded him as his family.

Looking back at the summer of 2014, Danny Angie planned a total of 10 transactions, including sending Rondo to the Mavericks and traded Jeff Green to the Grizzlies. The move from clearing out two former core members of the reconstruction has been obvious enough that the Celtics want to reorganize a young talented legion.

It’s just that no one can imagine that the word talent may appear on Thomas, who is only 175 cm tall?

But Angie never expected it after all the calculations. It was this accident that Thomas Jr. accidentally opened another brilliant moment for the Celtics.

Thomas Jr. was the sixth man in his early stages of joining the Celtics. According to the team's primary goal at that time, he was committed to cultivating Smart as the team's future starting point guard. However, he was injured and left the court after only three games at the beginning of the 2015-16 season. Stevens chose to straighten Thomas Jr., but his result was perfectly integrated into the Celtics tactical system.

This change of the team allowed Thomas Jr. to firmly start the team, and he also became the first All-Star star to be selected for the post-Big Three era. Thomas Jr. played in 82 games that year, and handed out star data with 22.2 points, 3 rebounds and 6.2 assists. Think about it now, if Smart hadn't been accidentally injured at that time, there might not have been a story about the strongest 175 on the surface.

"People say that if they can win a championship in Boston, the people of Boston will love you forever, and I hope everyone on this team can experience this feeling."

According to Thomas Jr.'s later memories, he once said that the Celtics changed his career trajectory and made him meet a group of fans who truly regard themselves as their family for the first time. Therefore, he hopes to bring a championship to Boston and allow him to remain in history in this championship city.

Without Thomas Jr.'s performance as a man, the Celtics naturally would not have won Horford's favor in the summer of 2016; without Thomas Jr. endorsing the double blow of losing his sister and hip injury in the 2017 playoffs, relying solely on the team to control it, it would not have been possible that Hayward would choose to join the Celtics.

But even so, his contribution in these three seasons still cannot change the cruelty of the business league. When Kyrie Irving appeared on the trading table, all the credits of Thomas Jr. were just trading chips to convince the Cavaliers.

"I think I can also teach you a lesson for everyone and watch how I was traded, just like such a call without warning. How many scars, blood, and everything I have accumulated for this team, but I have contributed to this team, but this is the end?"

Many people always say that the reason why Thomas was traded was because of the sensational remarks of the armored truck at that time, but many people may have forgotten that Anji also treated Rondo in the same way.

Looking back, the trajectory of these two Celtic leaders is really too similar. They both suffered heavy injuries and both asked for maximum salary quotes before the contract year, and were eventually abandoned by the Celtics when the transaction value was high. In the offseason in 2017, after a peak season of 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game, according to the new version of the labor and capital agreement, Thomas Jr. can complete an early contract renewal with the Celtics, modifying the original annual salary of 6.26 million in the last year to a five-year maximum salary contract worth 160 million. Regardless of whether Anji was interested in offering a maximum salary to keep Thomas Jr. at that time, Thomas Jr. took the initiative to speak out, saying that his contract renewal was not an urgent task.

"We need the best players to help us win. I will do everything that the team needs me to do and that needs me to help Boston get more talent. This year we are only one step away from the finals, which makes me more eager to win the championship, so I will definitely do my best to help as long as they need it. I can wait until the last day to discuss renewal, and that time will always come.. I have proved myself and let the whole world know my ability. What I can do is not something I can control. ”

In the end, Thomas Jr. successfully convinced Hayward to join together with Horford and Stevens, but he himself eventually fell to the end of the song.

Now, no one can predict what the story would be like for Angie without a deal, but only referring to his performance after returning from injury, the subsequent story is likely to be not optimistic.

Back to the article written by Thomas Jr. in 2016, he once wrote in the article that he hopes that he can prove that he is from a low ranking that is ignored by the world and looked down upon by others. Ming himself can help the team win and win more championships for Boston.

Judging from the follow-up story, although Thomas Jr. did not fulfill all expectations, in the dark, perhaps he had planted the spark for the future. Perhaps in a nameless corner in Boston, there was also a small man who was moved by his story. In the future, someone would ask him:

"Why do you like basketball?"

And this little player would answer with a smile after thinking:

"Because I watched Thomas Jr. play! ”