When the Portland Trail Blazers' Kurt Thomas first entered the league in 1995 out of TCU, he just came off a senior season where he led the NCAA Division 1 in scoring and rebounding. He became only the third player in history to accomplish such a feat.
After being such a dominant player during his collegiate career, Thomas knew his role would slightly change in the NBA but he thought he'd still be asked to score the ball.
“Definitely coming into the league, I thought I was going to get an opportunity to put the ball in the hole,” Thomas told CSNNW.com. “When I was drafted, the team that I was on had Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. They already had scorers so if I wanted to get out on the floor, I had to play defense and rebound. That's one thing I felt has kept me in the league all these years.”
The Thomas of today is best known for setting good screens, taking charges, rotating on defense, boxing out, rebounding, not giving ground in the post, and being an excellent teammate. These are all attributes that don't get a lot of praise or show up on the stat sheet, but nonetheless, are just as important.
“I don't really worry about what the media and what the critics may say. As long as my teammates know that I got their back,” Thomas said. “They trust me and they know that if they get beat, they know I'll step up and be right there for them. “It's all about the team. It's not about me getting recognition. It's about me doing my job.”
You'll find Thomas taking charges in practice, at Fan Fest, and during the preseason. He consistently goes hard on every play whenever he plays.
“That's the only way he knows how to play, “ Marcus Camby said. “I always tell him to stop taking those charges in practice because we're not going to call it, but that's what he does. He plays hard every time.”
Being the oldest player in the league speaks volumes. You have to have a niche and keep yourself in terrific shape to play amongst the youthful guys of the league. Thomas has maintained a professional work ethic and has accepted the role that he's established for himself...playing defense.
He says he still has flashbacks and gets out there in practice from time to time to prove to the youngsters that he hasn't forgotten how to play offense.
“I take pride in my offense. I try to show it everyday in practice,” Thomas said. “My teammates know I can still shoot the ball and put the ball in the hole, but I know there are other players on this team that they draw up plays for and I'm fine with that.”
