Isaiah Thomas is unlike any teammate LeBron James has ever had

LeBron James has spent the last seven years surrounding himself with former top draft picks and elite talent, but Isaiah Thomas is unlike any teammate he’s ever had.

James, you’ll remember, was crowned king in high school. After he was selected No. 1 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, he shouldered the load alone in Cleveland until, in 2010, he teamed up with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade — the fourth and fifth picks in the same draft respectively — in Miami, where he won his first two NBA championships. Then, in 2014, he left the Heat to join former No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving. His arrival spurred a trade of that year’s top pick, Andrew Wiggins, for 2008’s fifth overall pick and elite power forward Kevin Love.

Thomas, his newest teammate, was the very last pick of the 2011 NBA Draft.

With the Cavaliers agreeing to trade Irving to the Celtics for Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn’s unprotected 2018 first-round pick, the chemistry in Cleveland is changed.

As far as production goes, Thomas and Irving aren’t all that different. Last season, Thomas averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from 3-point range. Irving averaged 25.2 points and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. Both are crafty ball-handlers and elite finishers at the rim. Both have inherent disadvantages on defense. Irving’s ceiling is higher than that of Thomas, but Thomas has a chip on his shoulder that no other James teammate can quite relate to.

In his essay to the Players’ Tribune, Thomas said of his reaction when he found out he was getting traded from Phoenix to Boston in 2014: “This was the opportunity I had always wanted. The one I had worked my whole life for. And I was going to do everything I could to take advantage of it.”

Irving didn’t wait as long as Thomas for his opportunity. Irving played just 11 games at Duke before getting hurt his freshman year and was still selected No. 1 overall. Love spent one season at UCLA before declaring. Wade was anointed the face of the franchise by his second season. Bosh was top dog in Toronto from day one. Heck, James didn’t even go to college.

Thomas spent three seasons at Washington, was barely drafted and bounced around between Sacramento, Phoenix and Boston in his first four seasons before finally settling in as the Celtics’ starting point guard when he was 26-years-old. He got his opportunity in Boston, embraced it, made the most of it and was traded for a former top pick. He’s going to need some salsa for that chip on his shoulder.

Before the first round of the playoffs began last season, Thomas learned that his sister had tragically died in a car crash. He told reporters that he wanted to “give up and quit” when he found out. But he didn’t. In Game 1 against the Bulls, he came out and scored 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting in a heroic performance. Boston went on to win the series in six games and, eventually, advance to the Conference Finals where they lost to James and Irving.

Unlike James and Irving, Thomas hasn’t been to the NBA Finals. He wasn’t a lottery pick, and has yet to sign his first big contract.

Maybe this season was set to be a formality before James packed his bags for Los Angeles. He played as well as anyone ever has in the last season’s finals, and the Warriors still won in five games.

Next: Favorite what-if scenarios in NBA history

If James was looking for motivation this season, the Cavaliers may have provided it. In Miami, James teamed up with his peers to win his first ring. Then he returned home to win one for Cleveland. Now he can help win one for IT.

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