LeBron James isn't counting on Isaiah Thomas to fix the issues that have plagued the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. The Cavaliers currently have the worst defense in the NBA and Thomas was measured last season as the worst defensive player in the NBA based on Real Plus Minus.
"To be honest, I don't think it's too much expected [of Thomas]," James said before shootaround Thursday morning. "I don't think we're relying on IT to come back. We want him to take his time. When he feels he's ready, he's going to fit right in.
"We can't rely on just one person. We can't rely on just one person for us to be as good as we want to be, whether it's IT or myself or Tristan [Thompson] being out. We have guys who have to step up."
Thomas is expected to return in January.
"IT is definitely a big piece of what we want to do, but IT hasn't stepped out on the floor in a Cavs uniform yet," James said. "We know what he's capable of doing, but he hasn't played with us, so we don't want to put that type of pressure on him, even though he loves it."