At some point, Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas is going to run out of great players -- past and present -- to praise him.
But for now, everyone has something nice to say about Boston's lone All-Star representative, including some of the greatest players in the league. On Friday, he had a chance to meet the consensus greatest ever: Michael Jordan.
From Celtics.com's Marc D'Amico:
"He said he's been watching," Thomas said of his conversation with Jordan. "He said, 'Keep killing.' He said, 'Take the night off when you play us (the Charlotte Hornets), but keep doing your thing.'
"That's crazy," he continued. "I couldn't sleep last night when he said that."
That's high praise from a high place. Jordan is, of course, a legendary competitor -- the type of player who would say just about anything to gain a competitive advantage against his opponents. While "keep killing" and "take the night off against my team" isn't exactly the most specific praise a player could receive, it's difficult to imagine someone getting much more from Jordan.
As Celtics fans are well aware, Thomas is having a historically great season. He is challenging the franchise record for points per game, entering the All-Star break at 29.9, and has helped propel Boston to second in the Eastern Conference standings.
That kind of success, and Thomas' notoriety as one of the smallest players in the league, has garnered public praise from all over the league. His reaction to it has been fascinating -- Thomas seems to gain motivation from criticism (look no further than his "Pick Me Last Again" ad campaign), but he seems equally adept at taking his positive feedback to heart in a good way. After Paul Pierce said he was "easily" the best point guard in the Eastern Conference, Thomas both lit up the Clippers and allowed Pierce to hit the final 3-pointer in a game that meant a lot to the TD Garden crowd.
Brad Stevens has joked before that Thomas can find motivation getting cut off in traffic on his drive to the arena, but motivation isn't always negative. Sometimes, motivation is hearing that you are doing a good job from people you admire. Like most basketball players, Thomas clearly admires Jordan. Getting a compliment from a player most consider to be the greatest ever had to mean a lot.
Of course, it also apparently led to Thomas losing the 2017 Taco Bell Skills Challenge due to lack of sleep. These are the trade-offs superstars are forced to accept.