Isaiah Thomas is in the midst of the best season of his career, currently putting up a career-high 29.2 points per game, second best in the league. His exploits have helped the Celtics to the top spot in the Eastern Conference going into Saturday’s slate of games.
But unfortunately, along with scoring, Thomas is also among the league leaders in another category: technical fouls. In 70 games so far this season, Thomas has picked up 13 technicals, which is fourth in the league and close to the automatic suspension limit of 16.
Thomas, though, is planning on cutting back on the techs moving forward. Not because of the possible suspension -- though that seems unlikely with just a few games remaining, and the counter resetting in the postseason -- or the fine that comes with each technical, but because his sons taught him a lesson. When Thomas refs the youngsters’ games, they’ve started to give him a taste of his own medicine. Via the Boston Globe:
Mostly, Thomas said, he wants to tone down the technicals because he knows they do not set a good example for his young sons, James and Jaiden. When the two boys play games of one-on-one against each other, Thomas serves as the official, and he witnesses what it is like to be on the other side of the whistle.
“When I ref their games at home they yell at me,” Thomas said, smiling. “I remember the other week they said, ‘Well, you yell at the refs.’ They’re watching everything. So I’ve definitely got to do better.”
This is a pretty cool story. People often say that having kids makes you a better person, and apparently Thomas, whose Twitter bio reads, “Proud Father! If all I’m remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I’ve done a bad job with the rest of my life,” has found out they’ll make him a better teammate as well.
