The Celtics received a visit from an old friend Monday afternoon.

It’s unlikely the Celtics would ever sign Thomas to a legitimate NBA contract again, especially considering he has not played in an NBA game since 2023-24 and hasn’t averaged over 20 minutes per game since he was with the Lakers in 2021-22. His playing days are likely over, but his impact is still felt in Boston.

Arriving in Boston via a trade in February 2015, Thomas joined a clearly rebuilding team that was 13 games below .500 after it traded away franchise legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The 5-foot-9 point guard emerged as a fan favorite, known for his high-quality of play despite being counted out — especially as a 60th overall pick the 2011 NBA Draft — throughout the league. He helped the Celtics finish with a 40-42 record in his first season.

He followed that up with consecutive postseason berths for the Celtics, including an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals as a 53-win No. 1 seed that earned him MVP votes.

Those traits Thomas represented to achieve such results are perhaps the perfect example for this current iteration of the Celtics.

Boston underwent a major reworking of its roster during the 2025 offseason, opting to part ways with championship-caliber players to avoid paying harsh financial penalties. It instead decided to take a risk on multiple unproven players while waiting for franchise superstar Jayson Tatum to fully recover from an Achilles rupture. Expectations were set low, as many predicted a Tatum-less Celtics would hover around playoff contention until he returns.

If Thomas showed anything during his short — yet memorable — three seasons in Boston, that doesn’t have to be the case.

Jaylen Brown was a rookie during Thomas’ final season, serving as the only current player still on Boston’s roster with a connection to Thomas. Brown had a front-row seat to see exactly how Thomas led the Celtics to achieve expectations that were much greater than most thought were ever possible.

Now Brown is in a similar role as a 10-year veteran.