Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is progressing toward a return after spraining his ankle and missing the team's last five games.

“He is heading in the right direction,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said Tuesday. “To my knowledge, he won't need another MRI. He's building towards getting back on the floor.”

Nets star Cam Thomas gets injury update

Nets’ Cam Thomas looking serious

Thomas was moving around on the injured ankle and taking shots after Brooklyn's practice Tuesday. The 23-year-old had carried the Nets' offense over seven games before his injury, averaging 28.7 points, the ninth-most in the NBA up to that point.

Thomas scored 36 points during his 2023-24 debut, the most ever for an NBA player off the bench in a season opener. He followed that with two more 30-point performances, making him the second-youngest player in NBA history with three straight to open a season, behind only Shaquille O'Neale. In his last full game before being sidelined, he scored 45 points on 17-of-33 shooting during a last-second loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Without Thomas and Ben Simmons, who will be sidelined indefinitely by a nerve impingement in his back, the Nets have been unable to find an offensive rhythm over their last six games. Brooklyn ranks 24th in offensive rating during that span, scoring 107.8 points per game (27th) while shooting 44.9 percent from the field (24th) and posting a 1.59 assist-to-turnover ratio (26th).

Thomas will be reevaluated in the coming days, after which the Nets will provide an updated timetable for his return.

Dennis Smith Jr. injury update

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After missing Brooklyn's last game with a lower back sprain, Dennis Smith Jr. will receive an MRI and won't travel with the team for Wednesday's road matchup with the Atlanta Hawks.

“You let a guy get clinically diagnosed, you hope it’s an acute injury, then you see if he can get some treatment and get back on the floor. Well, we had a couple days of treatment, and he’s not back on the floor. So then we’ll take the next step and get an MRI,” Vaughn said of Smith Jr.'s absence.

After revitalizing his career with the Charlotte Hornets last season, Smith Jr. has been the Nets' best point-of-attack defender early this season. However, he continues to struggle offensively as a non-shooting guard, averaging 5.8 points and 3.0 assists on 39.7 percent from the field.