Celtics' Thomas: 'I'm the 5-foot-9 Kevin Garnett'
Isaiah Thomas is looking to model his game after a future Hall of Famer, and it's not who you'd expect.
After receiving praise from new TNT broadcaster Kevin Garnett last week, the Boston Celtics guard said he'd like to approach the game with the same passion and energy that Garnett did.
"I’m the 5-9 Kevin Garnett. That’s who I want to be," Thomas told ESPN's Chris Forsberg. "(Garnett's praise) means a lot. For a guy I looked up to, who I knew I would be nothing like (in size), but just the way he prepared himself, the way he didn’t back down from anybody, and how he was so locked in. It was amazing to see that up close. For him to say that about me, that says a lot."
"Even guys around here, like our strength coach (Bryan) Doo, he always says, 'You would have loved KG and he would have loved you. He doesn't like a lot of guys, but he would have loved you.' And I wish I got to play with a guy like him," Thomas said.
Garnett applauded Thomas as part of his new segment on the "NBA on TNT" last week, saying that he plays the game "with so much heart."
Thomas is off to a hot start this season on the offensive end, averaging 26.2 points and 6.8 assists on 49.5 percent shooting.