Isaiah Thomas has thumb surgery, will sit out 6-8 weeks

On Wednesday, the Washington Wizards announced that point guard Isaiah Thomas will sit out 6-8 weeks due to a ruptured radial collateral ligament on his left thumb. He had surgery earlier today to repair it. Thomas suffered the injury last Monday during workouts.

In a statement, Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard said the following:

“This was an unfortunate setback for Isaiah, but with his resolve and the top care he will receive from our medical team, we expect him to make a full recovery,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “In the meantime, he will continue to mentor our young guards and have a positive impact on the team as we start training camp.”

Thomas has battled injuries over the last two seasons, most notably a hip injury in 2017 when he played for the Boston Celtics which lingered on until last season when he played for the Denver Nuggets. He signed with the Wizards on a one-year deal in free agency last July.

Thankfully, Thomas didn’t re-injure his hip. However, the setback could keep him from making his season debut until mid-November. Assuming Thomas plays in the Wizards’ Nov. 17 match against the Orlando Magic, he would have missed 10 regular season games in addition to training camp and the preseason.

The Wizards’ point guard rotation is already very thin. John Wall is effectively out for the season due to an Achilles injury. Tomas Satoransky now plays for the Chicago Bulls. Ish Smith is now expected to start with Justin Robinson behind him. And don’t rule out Bradley Beal as Washington’s next starting point guard. He averaged a career-high 5.5 assists last season and will probably dish even more assists this season.