Does Isaiah Thomas Have a Shot at Rio?

A lot of players are withdrawing their name from Team USA for the summer Olympics, does Isaiah Thomas now have a chance?

Potential players who could play on the USA Olympic team are dropping like flies. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and many others already said they wouldn’t be able to compete in Rio this summer because of injuries or wanting to rest for the upcoming season. Now, Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden have joined the list of players who are no longer up for consideration for Team USA.

Team USA should still be favorites to win Gold this summer, although the lack of interest is a little concerning. It also raises the question around Boston, does Isaiah Thomas have even the slightest chance now? Isaiah Thomas came out on Twitter and tweeted that he would like a shot at the Olympic team.

Obviously Thomas isn’t an option for the upcoming Olympics, as he’s not even a finalist, however, is it crazy to think he won’t ever get invited, or at least be a finalist?

There is no doubt that the point guard position is the deepest position for Team USA, and that won’t change in four years. Chris Paul will be the only point guard out of the current finalists that will be 35 years or older.

John Wall, Damian Lillard, and Kyrie Irving will all be under 30-years-old, and Steph Curry will only be 33. Not to mention point guards on the Select Team that include Kris Dunn, Emmanuel Mudiay, Marcus Smart, and D’Angelo Russell.

Isaiah Thomas is by no means the worst guard among the list of players I just mentioned. He’s shown massive improvement every year since joining the NBA and is coming off his first All-Star appearance. Not to mention that he’s been doing this without another star in Boston. Also, players seem less willing to risk their bodies over the summer, or maybe they want to spend more time with their families.

It also wouldn’t be crazy to think that a similar turnout could occur in 2020. Curry might not want to get hurt as he’s reaching his mid-30s, although, he has yet to play in the Olympics for Team USA. Paul will likely not want to risk his body at that age, especially since he’s won a couple of Gold medals already.

Still, that leaves a lot of good point guards who will still be in their prime, not to mention guards still in college or high school. It wouldn’t be crazy to think that Kris Dunn is a finalist four years from now, or D’Angelo Russell if he rebounds from a rough rookie campaign.

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The fact of the matter is Isaiah Thomas has a chance to be a finalist and compete in international competitions, but it’s very unlikely he’ll ever represent Team USA in the Olympics. There are too many great point guards, and guards in general, that will cause Thomas to be lost in the mix.

It would take a lot more than injuries to a couple of players for him to have a chance. Obviously, four years is a long time so there’s no telling the level of play Thomas will be at then. If the Celtics continue to improve and make a run at the title then that will help his chances a lot.

I can definitely see him being a finalist though in a couple of years. Players like Kenneth Faried, Rudy Gay, and Mike Conley are finalists for Team USA this year, so Thomas is definitely not out of the mix.

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Isaiah Thomas never backs down from a challenge and there’s no doubt that he’d be honored if given the chance to represent his country. It’d just be really hard to bring an undersized point guard in unless he continues to cement himself as a star over the next couple of years. Either way, Thomas isn’t afraid to say what he’s thinking and it’s great to have a leader who doesn’t settle and wants to get better.

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