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It had been a while since Isaiah Thomas had a game like Tuesday’s against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Sacramento Kings point guard provided a much needed spark off the bench, scoring 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in just 21 minutes of action. “I feel like I’m back to my old self,” said Thomas to a small scrum of media following practice yesterday. “I know what I need to do. I watched a lot of film, talked to a few people.” Cowbell Kingdom

Sacramento Kings, Isaiah Thomas 

What’s been the problem? The Kings guard confessed to thinking too much, rather than playing with his instincts, which was a key element to making him the steal of last year’s NBA Draft. “No matter if I start or if I come off the bench,” said Thomas. “I gotta know I gotta bring energy and I gotta be me on the offensive end. I just did that in the second half and it worked a little bit.” Cowbell Kingdom

Sacramento Kings, Isaiah Thomas 

Instead, Thomas insists that inconsistent playing time caused him to overthink his game. Not knowing if he would play minor or major minutes elicited the sophomore guard to press with his contributions as soon as he’d take the floor. But with all three guards playing at a relatively similar level right now, the minutes will likely continue to fluctuate for Thomas as the season progresses. Unless Smart tightens his rotation sometime soon, all he can do is keep himself ready. “If you’re in there for one minute, 20 minutes, you just gotta bring it,” Thomas said. “And I told myself if I’m there for, like I said, one minute or 20 minutes, I’m going to make that the most exciting 20 minutes of the game. So, I know what I gotta do and I just gotta play.” Cowbell Kingdom

Sacramento Kings, Isaiah Thomas 

From one pizza guy to another pizza guy talking about a third pizza guy, Isaiah Thomas should give Derrick Rose a call. I think they’d have a lot to talk about. (via Ananth Pandian) The Score

Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, Derrick Rose, Isaiah Thomas 

Jon Santiago: Asked his thoughts on new Sleep Train name on the arena, Isaiah Thomas jokingly responded: "As long as I get my free mattress." Twitter @itsjonsantiago

Isaiah Thomas 

Marc J. Spears: Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas working with Kings Isaiah Thomas on Saturday in Los Angeles. Twitter

Sacramento Kings, Isiah Thomas, Isaiah Thomas 

Isaiah Thomas: Great workout with @iamisiahthomas... He showed me so much in ONE workout that ima use my WHOLE career! Twitter

Sacramento Kings, Isiah Thomas, Isaiah Thomas 

At what age did you have that thought I could be an NBA player and these camps actually mean something to me? Isaiah Thomas: Probably more when I got into high school, when I really started becoming pretty good at the game of basketball. I mean I always felt I was going to make it to the NBA because being a little kid and that being my dream, once I got into high school. And then getting invited to like Steve Nash camps, Deron Williams camps, and really interacting with those guys and competing with them and seeing that I can compete at that type of level, that’s when it really hit me (that) I could really make my dream come true. Cowbell Kingdom

Sacramento Kings, Isaiah Thomas 

Isaiah Thomas: Congrats bro @Nate Robinson on signing with the Bulls. We meet again but this time on Halloween lol. U b Midget Mac and I will b Kevin hart Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Free Agency, Nate Robinson, Isaiah Thomas 

Isaiah Thomas: Im not gonna lie Brandon Roy is BACK!!!!! I seen it 1st hand today Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Free Agency, Brandon Roy, Isaiah Thomas 

Fredette insisted that he didn't play with any added motivation because of the team's decision to add another point guard to the mix, even if it does put him behind Brooks and Isaiah Thomas entering next season and qualify as the latest setback to an already frustrating start to his career. The obvious impact of the move could be spotted in the stands Monday during the Kings game, where Fredette's agent, Jeff Austin, was seen discussing the unexpected situation with Geoff Petrie, Sacramento's president of basketball operations, for nearly a half hour. SI.com

Sacramento Kings, Geoff Petrie, Aaron Brooks, Isaiah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette 

Bothered by the pressure, Fredette looked uncomfortable for most of the game. But the Kings want him to work through these issues, which plagued him as a rookie. With starting point guard Isaiah Thomas not playing in the summer league, there will be plenty of chances for Fredette to work on what went wrong. "At some point, he has to figure it out," said Kings summer league co-head coach Bobby Jackson. "I want him to be a bit more aggressive on the pick-and-rolls. He's got to understand that's what guys are going to do because he can shoot the ball. He didn't shoot the ball well (Friday), but he's got to be the guy that's aggressive and gets us in our stuff. … He'll figure it out." Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Kings, Bobby Jackson, Isaiah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette 

Isaiah Thomas: I hope we resign @Terrence Williams #KingsAllDay Twitter

Sacramento Kings, Free Agency, Terrence Williams, Isaiah Thomas 

Isaiah Thomas: S/O 2 my big homie #Broy 4 signing with the Twolves!! Welcome back (Mase Voice) lol Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Brandon Roy, Isaiah Thomas 

Jason Jones: Still waiting on Summer League roster to be finalized, but Isaiah Thomas is not on it. It will be the Jimmer Fredette Show at point guard. Twitter

Sacramento Kings, Summer League, Isaiah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette 

Alex Kennedy: Other players in the Jamal Crawford Pro-Am include Nate Robinson, Spencer Hawes, Quincy Pondexter, Isaiah Thomas. Good test for Brandon Roy. Twitter

Free Agency, Nate Robinson, Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford, Spencer Hawes, Isaiah Thomas, Quincy Pondexter 

"I have a breakdown book (of NBA teams)," Johnson-Odom said. "I look at their roster. I figure out teams, like Sacramento. The one question I had (for the Kings) was what made Isaiah Thomas so much better than Jimmer Fredette? … They gave me feedback." Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Kings, Draft, Isaiah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette, Darius Johnson-Odom 

Jason Jones: Darius Johnson-Odom said he had questions for the Kings, among them being what made Isaiah Thomas better than Jimmer last season. Twitter

Sacramento Kings, Draft, Isaiah Thomas, Jimmer Fredette, Darius Johnson-Odom 

Thomas was one of the biggest surprises of the 2011-12 season, someone who will likely receive Rookie of the Year votes just 10 months after being overlooked by every team in the league. At 5’9, Thomas has always had doubters, and being dubbed Mr. Irrelevant only motivated him more and solidified his underdog status. “I’ve always played with a chip on my shoulder and that just motivated me even more,” Thomas told HOOPSWORLD. “I went into every game thinking, ‘Okay, this team passed on me. They didn’t pick me.’ Every day, it was on my mind. I wanted to go out there and show them that they missed out on something special. I looked at other players and thought, ‘This guy was drafted ahead of me. I may not be better than him, but I’m going to outwork him.’ It made me work harder because I wanted to show the NBA and the world that I could compete on this level. I think I did an okay job of that this year.” HoopsWorld

Sacramento Kings, Isaiah Thomas 

“Every guy from Seattle who has made it to the NBA has helped me and taught me so much,” Thomas said. “I can’t thank them enough. Jamal Crawford is a mentor and big brother to me. He has helped me since I was a freshman in high school and we talk every day. He’s someone that I’ve learned a lot from, on and off the court. He’s a hell of a person and he really cares about others. He’s kind of like the OG of the group, the OG of Seattle players. Everyone looks up to him. Jason Terry has helped me a lot as well. Nate Robinson has been great too and he’s someone who I can really relate to. We went to the same college, played for the same coach and play a similar style. Not to mention, he’s the exact same height as me so he can give me specific advice and tips on the court. Those guys have really helped me, which means a lot.” HoopsWorld

Sacramento Kings, Isaiah Thomas