After doing everything in his power to make the Brooklyn Nets into the sort of team that can attract star players like James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving, Cam Thomas finds himself looking a lot like the Will Smith empty room meme, with even Mikal Bridges opting to leave BK for the brighter light of Manhattan as a member of the New York Knicks.
What gives? How did things fall apart so spectacularly? While that particular topic is so fruitful, someone could probably write an entire book on it – and believe me, that will certainly happen – there's nothing Thomas can do now but buckle in for his fourth professional season, where he will either take the Nets to new heights, watch things fall apart spectacularly, or get traded to another team before the calendar flips from February to March.
Asked how it feels to see his Nets trade away their best player and presumably pack it in for a season where draft positioning seemingly matters more than playoff positioning in an interview with Slam, Thomas noted that he's embracing his new role as a locker room leader, as he needs to do everything in his power to build a foundation for the future in Brooklyn.
“Just knowing that and embracing it. Attacking it head-on. I've kind of been having those roles [as the leader of the team] ever since I was in high school and college. So, I'm not really worried about it. I'm just excited to get it going and to try to do it in the League. I'm not really worried about it at all; I'm just ready.”
While no one will question Thomas' commitment to winning games for the Nets, as his scoring has singlehandedly put a few Ws on the record books for the Nets over the past few years, for Brooklyn to really take a step forward with the LSU product as one of its top players, he will need to improve on his defense too, as the Nets had a Net Rating differential of -5.1 when Thomas was on the court last season. Still, based on his comments to Slam, it sure sounds like Thomas is open to the task, as he's no stranger to external motivation.
Cam Thomas opens up about what motivates his game
Speaking of Thomas' status as one of the most polarizing players in the NFL today, with some fans loving his fearless scoring style and position versatility while others trash his defensive flaws and seeming stagnation on that end of the court, the pride of Yokosuka, Japan was asked about what motivates him in the NBA, be that external or internal.
While Thomas is no stranger to external criticism, as, again, he earns more than his fair share, he uses it as motivation, just like his burning desire to become one of the best players in the NBA, regardless of age or experience.
“It's a little bit of both…I don't really worry about the doubters because I've always had them. Nobody really believed in my talent and scoring ability—even at Oak Hill, and even in college, and even in the League. So, I'm used to it. Now, it's really just self-motivation. Even down to sliding in the draft all the way down to pick 27. I still carry that chip on my shoulder. And even with the Nets, not playing consistently my first two years. I have that in my back pocket so I can keep growing and keep improving…to show why you should have played me in my first two years,” Thomas told Slam.
“I'm not focused on trying to prove myself anymore. Everybody knows I'm one of the top young scorers—top young guards—in the League now. So, it's really just trying to maximize my ability, see where I can take it and become the best player I can be, this year, and for years to come.”
While scoring the ball has never been an issue for Thomas, as he was averaging 8.5 points per game on 17.6 minutes a night as a rookie, he really came into his own last season, where he scored an average of 22.5 points per game on 18 shots while starting 51 of the 66 games he appeared in. Sure, he has his flaws, and maybe he will never be more than a premier sparkplug scorer at the NBA level, but when you consider there were only 25 players who averaged more points per game than Thomas, and every single one of them did so in more minutes per game as full-time starters – yes, really, look it up – his growth as a 22-year-old deserves far more credit than it regularly receives.
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