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Cam Thomas has had no problems scoring at an elite level throughout his basketball career. The Nets guard set the all-time leading scoring record at the prestigious Oak Hill Academy before leading all college freshmen in scoring during his lone season at LSU. However, his shortcomings as a passer and defender led him to drop to 27th in the 2021 draft, where Brooklyn took a chance on him.
Thomas has continued to flash his elite shot creation at the NBA level. He became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40-plus points in three consecutive games last season. This year, he became the second-youngest player in league history to record three straight 30-point games to start a season.
Despite the scoring milestones, the less-polished aspects of Thomas' game remain a frequent discussion point.
“I feel like the goalposts always move for me,” Thomas said after scoring a game-high 33 points during Friday's primetime win over the Lakers. “When people now score all these points, it's all praise. But when I used to do it and score all the points, it was always a knock. Like, ‘Oh, he can't play defense. Oh, he doesn't pass.' But when I see other people doing the same thing, it's praise. So, obviously, the goalposts move.”
Doubters fuel Cam Thomas amid changing roles with Nets
Thomas has earned an expanded role in Brooklyn this year with the team lacking offensive firepower. He's taken a leap in his third season, leading the Nets in scoring at 20.6 points per game on 44/36/81 shooting splits.
Cam Thomas drops Austin Reaves with a spin move and drains the middy.
He's got 12 points on 5/5 shooting. Once again carrying the Nets' offense in a first quarter. pic.twitter.com/dfuW8iIIbU
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 20, 2024
Cam over LeBron. pic.twitter.com/OmLUecVH2l
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 20, 2024
The 22-year-old is using the long-awaited opportunity to stick it to each team that passed on him in the draft.
“Obviously I still play with that chip on my shoulder, for sure,” Thomas said. “Even now. Every team that picked ahead of Brooklyn I just try to go out there and try to kill them every time. Just try to show everybody they made a mistake.”
Cam Thomas on falling to 27th in the 2021 draft:
"Every team that picked ahead of Brooklyn, I just try to go out there and try to kill them every time. Just try to show everybody they made a mistake." pic.twitter.com/J1QlJrLzg9
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 20, 2024
While Thomas feels the evaluation of his game is constantly shifting, he still has a ways to go as a passer and defender before he can shed the “microwave scorer” label.
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He's averaged just 2.8 assists per 36 minutes during his NBA career. This season, he's posted the Nets' highest usage rate but ranks dead last among NBA combo guards in assist-to-usage ratio (how often a player gets an assist compared to how often they have the ball), per Cleaning The Glass. He's also posted the 10th-worst defensive estimated plus-minus among all NBA players, per DunksandThrees.com.
Those numbers led head coach Jacque Vaughn to stick with veteran point guard Spencer Dinwiddie over Thomas in Brooklyn's starting lineup for the last 10 games. Vaughn has continued to bring Thomas off the bench despite Dinwiddie averaging just 11.2 points and 4.5 assists per game on 37.2 percent shooting during that span.
Thomas has seen his minutes cut from 30.3 per game to 25.0 per game since the move. He's struggled to find consistency, averaging 15.7 points and 2.2 assists on 39/33/72 shooting splits. Despite this, he's had no struggles getting off to hot starts. Thomas has saved Brooklyn's sputtering offense early in several games, averaging a team-high 5.2 points on 70 percent shooting during first quarters.
The Lakers win was the latest example. Thomas scored 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the first half. He also posted four assists, and Vaughn praised the guard's ability to adjust to added attention following the performance.
“He saved us in that first half, for sure. His ability to get us open looks,” Vaughn said. “They got to a point where they started trapping him then we got some looks out of that. I just thought he did a lot of good things tonight, whether it was once he got the attention on him, he had four assists. His ability just to make the right play. He's just growing.”
https://streamable.com/hf194j
Thomas played 32 minutes during the win. In 15 games playing 30-plus minutes this season, he is averaging 26.9 points on 46.1 percent shooting from the field and 37.1 percent from three.
Thomas' role should continue to gain clarity with the trade deadline approaching. Dinwiddie's name continues to be floated in trade discussions amid his recent struggles with unrestricted free agency looming this summer. Thomas is entering the final year of his rookie contract after the Nets exercised a team option for next season.
Brooklyn will now face decisions on a possible extension this summer.
