ATLANTA -- Isaiah Thomas was flattered when Kevin Garnett suggested Thursday night that the Boston Celtics point guard should be in the MVP conversation. But he’s also not bashful about where he believes he stands among the NBA’s elite this season.

“Right behind [Russell] Westbrook and [James] Harden,” Thomas said Friday at Boston's shootaround before a national TV game against the Atlanta Hawks (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

With the Celtics visiting Atlanta, Thomas dropped by Garnett’s "Area 21" segment during TNT’s NBA broadcast on Thursday night. Garnett showered Thomas with praise and suggested he’s worthy of MVP chatter.

Thomas is tied with Toronto's DeMar DeRozan for the Eastern Conference lead in scoring, averaging 28.2 points per game. Thomas also averages a league-best 9.8 points per game in the fourth quarter and already has 11 games with 30 points or more this season.

“Real talk: If Westbrook and James Harden weren’t having the years they’re having, you would consider [Thomas] an early candidate for MVP, just because of what he does for his team,” Garnett told Shaquille O’Neal before Thomas joined them on camera.

Garnett’s praise clearly resonated with Thomas.

“I don’t really care about what anybody else says, but my peers and the people who did it before me because they really know what it takes to be great, and to hear stuff like that from KG is just -- I always say all the time, it doesn’t seem real to hear the guys that did it before me and such greats and legends like those two are,” Thomas said. “To talk highly of me is unbelievable.”

O’Neal said he liked Thomas’ heart and how he played with determination but joked that he wished he was a little bit taller.

“He always says that, like I’m gonna have to hit a growth spurt or something,” the 5-foot-9 Thomas said.

Thomas conceded that it’s hard to compete with Harden and Westbrook considering the crazy numbers they’ve put up this season.

“They’re having years that you can’t take away what they’re doing,” Thomas said. “They’re getting triple-doubles every other game. I’m not close to that. But, in a normal year, I’d probably be up there.”

Thomas brought a couple of gifts for KG, including a framed excerpt from the NBA rulebook that details how to set a legal screen. Thomas has often joked in the past about getting crunched by Garnett's patented moving screens (and how Garnett used to call him a "midget" on the court).

Thomas also gave Garnett a picture of him and Avery Bradley from their time together in Boston. Bradley is recovering from an Achilles strain and is not on the trip with the Celtics.

O’Neal pointed out some of the flashy jewelry Thomas wore on his wrist during his visit and joked about it being the benefit of the new collective bargaining agreement. Thomas has one year remaining on a bargain contract that will pay him just $6.3 million next season. Garnett noted how Thomas will get his big payday with his next contract.

“It’s coming because you’re earning it, bro,” Garnett said. “Real talk: I got you in that conversation for MVP. What you do for your team is huge.”