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Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas returned during a 129-128 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday after missing the team's last nine games with an ankle sprain. The 23-year-old picked up right where he left off, scoring a team-high 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting.
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Cam Thomas effective off bench for Nets
Thomas came off the bench as the Nets stuck with their recent starting lineup of Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton. Despite his impressive showing, he spent the final four minutes of the loss on the bench, a decision head coach Jacque Vaughn attributed to a minutes restriction.
“[He was on a] minutes restriction,” Vaughn said when asked about Thomas sitting late. “Everyone knew going into the game [he would be on a] minutes restriction. I’m not gonna say what that is, but good to have him back.”
Thomas played 25 minutes in the Nets' loss. He had no issues with his playing time when asked postgame about sitting down the stretch.
“It was just a minutes restriction. Obviously, you want to be out there, that's the competitor in me. But whatever the plan is, that's the plan,” he said. “Maybe it'll change, maybe it won't, but I'm fine… I'm still on the plan, so it's all good.”
After scoring 36 points in his 2023-24 debut – the most ever for an NBA player off the bench in a season opener – Thomas was pushed into the starting lineup amid injuries to Johnson and Claxton. Both returned after Thomas suffered his ankle injury, raising the question: Will Thomas be moved back into the starting unit now that all three are healthy?
Thomas back to starting five?
It would be difficult to envision the shooting guard coming off the bench for long. Thomas is averaging 26.8 points per game, the 14th-most in the NBA, on 48.4 percent shooting. He's far and away Brooklyn's best offensive player. However, Johnson and Claxton started their first games after returning from extended absences. Thomas did not.
Re-inserting Thomas to the starting unit is not as simple as it sounds for Vaughn. With Bridges and Claxton locked into the lineup, Dinwiddie, Johnson and Finney-Smith are the candidates to be moved to the bench. Removing each player in favor of Thomas presents problems.
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Remove Dinwiddie, and the Nets lack a point guard and facilitator. The 10-year veteran is averaging 7.4 assists per game over his last 10 appearances, the 11th-most in the NBA. His 3.84 assist-to-turnover ratio during that span ranks fifth amongst 15 players averaging seven or more assists.
While Thomas offers elite scoring ability, he has never averaged more than two assists per game at the collegiate or NBA level.
Remove Finney-Smith in favor of the 6-foot-3 Thomas, and the Nets are missing one of their top defenders and rebounders. After entering the season with high expectations, Brooklyn ranks 22nd in defensive rating. They allowed a Hornets team without LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller to shoot 50.5 percent from the field and 58 percent from three Thursday, with Terry Rozier scoring 37 points.
A Dinwiddie-Thomas backcourt would accentuate Brooklyn's problems defending at the point of attack.
Terry Rozier went OFF tonight in the Hornets' 1-point win in Brooklyn ‼️
🔥 37 PTS
🔥 7/9 3PM
🔥 13 ASTRozier becomes the first player to put up 35+ PTS, 10+AST, and 5+ 3PM in Charlotte franchise history 👏 pic.twitter.com/A4t8sGmEZ7
— NBA (@NBA) December 1, 2023
Removing Johnson presents similar issues. While he does not possess Finney-Smith's physicality as a defender or rebounder, he offers size at 6-foot-8 and is Brooklyn's top shooter. It's hard to envision the Nets benching Johnson after signing him to a four-year, $94.5 million contract this offseason.
Therein lies the problem for Brooklyn's coaching staff. Thomas is establishing himself as an elite scorer with high-level efficiency. He should have a spot in Brooklyn's starting lineup as the team's lead offensive option moving forward. Whether or not that will happen is still up in the air.
Ben Simmons' return would answer questions surrounding facilitation, rebounding, and defense with Thomas in the starting unit. The 6-foot-1o point guard has missed Brooklyn's last 11 games due to a nerve impingement in his back. Vaughn said the Nets will provide an update on Simmons' timetable Saturday.
