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With the 2024-25 NBA season nearing its close, a new hierarchy is emerging amongst the league's players. The Ringer released its updated top 100 players list on Thursday. Only one member of the Brooklyn Nets made the cut, with Cam Johnson coming in at No. 75.
“Older NBA prospects—like Cam Johnson, who was 23 years old when he was drafted in 2019—typically don’t have high ceilings. So it made sense that Johnson was a good but not great contributor for a while in Phoenix: He was an excellent shooter with a career 40 percent mark from distance who lacked any other standout skills. Now in his late 20s, however, Johnson is coming into his own as a more well-rounded offensive threat,” wrote Zach Kram. “He’s seizing on the ample opportunities up for grabs in Brooklyn: He’s initiating more offense, creating more shots for himself, and becoming even more efficient despite the increased volume. Although he surprisingly stayed put in Brooklyn past the trade deadline, his ultimate destination might still be as a role player for a contender—but now Johnson would fill that role with more oomph than ever before.”
Johnson is coming off a career-best season during which he averaged 18.8 points and 3.4 assists on 48/39/89 shooting splits. He and Desmond Bane were the NBA's only players to average at least 18 points on such efficiency.
With the Nets in the early stages of a rebuild, the 28-year-old could be a trade candidate leading up to the draft.
Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas were notable omissions from the Ringer's list.
Cam Johnson is lone Nets representative on The Ringer's NBA Top 100
Claxton had previously made the list, coming in at No. 60 following the 2022-23 campaign and No. 95 following 2023-24. His slide out of the Top 100 underscores a dip in production as Brooklyn continues a teardown of its roster.
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Claxton, considered a Defensive Player of the Year candidate two seasons ago, struggled to produce at his accustomed level while battling injuries this season. He averaged 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 blocks on 56.3 percent shooting, his lowest since his rookie season. The 26-year-old suffered a back injury during the offseason that forced him to receive an epidural early in the year.
Claxton told reporters at his exit interview that his back was “still bothering him,” but he would not need any procedure during the offseason.
Thomas has never made the Ringer's top 100 list. The 23-year-old further cemented his place as the Nets' lead offensive option this season, averaging 24.0 points on 44/35/88 shooting splits. However, he appeared in just 25 games while suffering three injuries to his left hamstring.
Thomas remains a polarizing player following his fourth NBA season. While he has proven capable of consistently posting monstrous scoring efforts, his playmaking and defense continue to raise questions about his long-term role.
The former first-round pick saw a slight uptick in his assist numbers this season, averaging 3.8 per game, although still well below other players with similar usage rates. His defense left much to be desired. Thomas posted a plus-6.8 defensive rating, the worst mark on the Nets, per CleaningTheGlass.
Despite this, Thomas has likely done enough over the last two seasons offensively to earn a significant payday. The Virginia native will be a restricted free agent this summer.
