LeBron James is excited to welcome back Isaiah Thomas to the Cavaliers on Tuesday but insisted that Thomas' performance against the Trail Blazers is "the last thing we'll think about".
Thomas will make his first appearance for the Cavs since arriving in the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics.
The All-Star guard will come off the bench under a strict minutes limit having yet to make an appearance this season while recovering from and rehabbing a hip injury, though he will not play against the Celtics on Wednesday.
James acknowledged that Thomas is lacking rhythm and is eager for his teammate to return without the weight of any expectations.
"He's excited to once again grace an NBA floor and actually play. We're excited for him as well," James told reporters.
"IT" is go !! Happy as hell for you @isaiahthomas!!! Been one tough journey to get back to this point but you've put in the work! Patience, passion and perseverance will always prevail. Mighty IT will shine once again! #thelittleguy #thesmallgiant #killer
"We expect him to be gassed, we expect him to be very emotional about his whole journey, just getting back. As far as the performance, that's the last thing we'll think about.
"He looked a little out of rhythm (when scrimmaging), obviously — the man hasn't played the game for seven months. I think anybody would be out of rhythm no matter what you do in life, taking six or seven months out of what you do best."
As for how the Cavs will integrate Thomas into the team, James said: "It's for us to figure it out, we don't know. He's been around for the last few months recovering, but we don't know until we get out there.
"I watched a lot of film on him, played against him a lot over the last couple of years, so I know what he's good at and what he does best, so it's very important for myself and us to see how he can be the best for our team."