"He's still clutch": Denver's locker room reacts to Isaiah Thomas' Nuggets debut

The Nuggets were dead in the water, trailing by 15 points in the first quarter against the Kings. Until Isaiah Thomas checked.

Thomas walked to the scorer’s table with under four minutes to go in the first quarter. He checked in moments later to a standing ovation. After an 11-month recovery from hip surgery, Thomas was back. He sparked the Nuggets to a quick 6-0 run towards the end of the first with a pair of assists. Thomas then tallied eight points in three third-quarter minutes as Denver outscored Sacramento 35-22 in the period before finishing off the Kings on Nikola Jokic’s game-winning tip-in.

Thomas changed the complexion of Wednesday’s 120-118 win from the moment he stepped on the floor. He finished with eight points on 3-6 shooting, drilled two triples, handed out two assists and had two turnovers in 13 minutes.

Here’s how Monte Morris, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Will Barton and Michael Malone reacted to his Nuggets debut. Also, how Isaiah Thomas thought his night went.

What did you think of Isaiah’s night?

Morris: “I was in college the year he was doing that in Boston. Going out there tonight it was crazy to play alongside him, see his first shot go down, how the arena erupted. Just so much that guy has been through, so many naysayers about him, say this, say that about him being a bad teammate. He’s a hell of a person, amazing person. I don’t know where that came from. He embraced me since day one with open arms and said ‘Let’s get better’ and everything. I was just happy for him tonight. I look forward to him taking it to another level.”

“He can heat up real fast. He puts defenses in a tough situation. He’s a scorer. That’s not something you can really teach. He’s got heart and he’s ready to hoop every time he steps out there. How many minutes did he play? Eight points quick.”

Murray: “I kind of know what the surgery life is and know how much he wants to play basketball. He went out there and did his thing. I felt good for him, just to be out there regardless of how he played or what he did. He just wanted to feel the ball and feel the energy in the crowd.”

Jokic: “We don’t know what he went through. It was 11 months of probably pain suffering. He probably couldn’t move in the first months. He knows what he went through and I’m really happy for him. I think the whole team is happy for him and he helped us a lot today.”

Barton: “I thought he looked good. I think the more he played you could see the more comfortable he got. He started getting more lift on his shots. He’s still clutch, as you saw. He hit some big shots for us and he’s a competitor. He knows how to play. He’s only going to get better.”

Malone: “I was so happy for Isaiah Thomas. I knew there was so much build up about his comeback, 11 months off. The guy’s been through so much on the court, off the court and for him to get the reception he got from our fans tonight was great. So I thank our fans for that. And to see when he made that three in the second half, the reaction from the bench and the crowd. I’m so happy to have Isaiah back in a game and helping us win a game.”

“We’ve been very careful with I.T. not to rush him back and we wanted to allow him to play when he was ready. He’s been playing 2-on-2, 3-on-3, 4-on-4, and 5-on-5 so once he felt he was ready I knew he’d go out there and be able to impact the game. First half, the pass to Mason Plumlee. He finds Torrey Craig wide open. He hits that three, had a couple of other really nice plays in the second half. We’ll play small at times with him but I thought he did a pretty good job of fighting a bigger player on the defensive end.”

Thomas (on his night): “I felt really good. I felt 10 times better than I did in my first game last season. I had no pain. I could move. I wasn’t as tired as I thought I’d be. Everything was right tonight and we got the win so that was big.”

Could you feel the energy in the arena change when he checked in?

Morris: “I think he outmatched Swaggy P’s (crowd reaction) when Swaggy got in. When I.T. came in it went up a couple more notches. It puts you in the same position as that. I knew it was going to be crazy for him. He deserves everything that’s coming to him.”

Murray: “Whenever somebody comes back from injury, whenever it is, especially somebody that’s been out for 11 months. And for him to put his head down and work and that #SLOWGrind that he always talks about, and to see it pay off, it’s just great to see him out there. And we’re going to need it for these next 25 (games) and playoffs.”

Jokic: “He brought energy. It was really amazing.”

Barton: “You knew it was going to happen. He’s one of those guys that brings the energy. He’s so exciting. He’s good. Fans like to see good players. Then when you throw in his personal life and everything he went through with the injuries, it’s easy to root for him.”

Malone: “When Isaiah made that three I could feel the whole building erupting.”

Thomas (on the energy in the building changing when he checked in): “Even when first came in the game I didn’t expect a standing ovation like that. I can’t thank my fans for supporting me and the Denver Nuggets fans. This organization is amazing. This fan base is amazing and I’m glad to put on a Nuggets uniform.”