The Brooklyn Nets made history Tuesday, handing the Detroit Pistons an NBA single-season record 27th straight loss, 118-112, at Little Caesars Arena. However, one of the top Nets storylines wasn't what was happening on the floor but rather who Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn decided to have off of it (Cam Thomas) in the game's biggest moments.

Despite scoring 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting through three quarters, Cam Thomas spent the entire closing period on the bench. His late-game benching underscores uncertainty surrounding Brooklyn's inefficient starting lineup.

Vaughn replaced Dorian Finney-Smith with Thomas in the starting five for the Nets' last 10 games. The new group's numbers have been less than encouraging. Spencer Dinwiddie, Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Nic Claxton have posted a -17.1 net rating, ranking in the 13th percentile among lineups to play at least 100 minutes, per Cleaning the Glass.

The change sacrificed size, defense, and rebounding with the hope that a Dinwiddie-Thomas backcourt would bolster the offense. However, that has been far from the case, with the unit posting a lackluster 104.0 offensive rating.

“The thought process behind it was to have four shotmakers and a big who could roll and get to the rim, that that would offensively be pretty good for us and that we’d be able to score enough and cover up some sins with offense, and that’d be enough to get the defensive side of the basketball done. But it just hasn’t produced itself, and so it’s staring us in the face, and the numbers are behind it,” Vaughn told the New York Post's Brian Lewis pregame Tuesday. “I’m definitely concentrating on getting this win tonight but not to say that we won’t have a different starting lineup in the beginning of the year.”

Vaughn's decision to bench Thomas late Tuesday follows a trend of Brooklyn's success with bigger lineups. The Nets' prior starting group with Finney-Smith in place of Thomas has posted a plus 3.0 net rating.

The coach closed with Dinwiddie, Bridges, Johnson, Finney-Smith, and Day'Ron Sharpe for the majority of the fourth quarter Tuesday. That group has posted the NBA's second-best net rating (plus 44.8) among lineups with 100 or more possessions this season.

“I said I’ll continue to gather the data and the data would speak for itself,” Vaughn said. “I’m more analytically based than I ever have been in my career. So you take this group that’s started recently, the numbers haven’t been efficient or sufficient enough for us, so there probably will be a change at some point. What that change is, I’ll continue to see what they need and what’s best for the group.”

What's to come after Cam Thomas gets sent to the bench?

Cam Thomas had quite the bounce back game for the Nets in their loss to the Warriors

Jacque Vaughn may have tipped his hand on that change Tuesday with Thomas' late-game benching. Sending the third-year guard back to the bench is a difficult proposition based on his budding offensive skillset. He is Brooklyn's leading scorer, averaging 23.5 points per game on 45/37/85 shooting splits.

However, Thomas and Dinwiddie's shortcomings as defenders and rebounders make it difficult for them to share the floor. If placed in a position where he must decide between the two, the duo's playmaking differential may leave Thomas as the odd man out.

The 22-year-old has the highest usage percentage on the Nets (29.7), ranking in the 92nd percentile among combo guards. Yet, he's posted a 0.42 assist-to-usage ratio (how often did a player get an assist based on how often they had the ball), ranking last on the Nets and in the 0th percentile among combo guards.

Meanwhile, Dinwiddie leads the Nets with a 1.19 assist-to-usage ratio, ranking in the 68th percentile among point guards. Despite scoring six points on 1-of-6 shooting through three quarters Tuesday, the 10-year-veteran closed the game over Thomas, Brooklyn's second-leading scorer to that point.

Vaughn's Dinwiddie (30) vs. Thomas (22) decision will offer a glimpse into how the franchise is prioritizing winning vs. player development during a season in which they don't factor into the championship conversation. While the coach may be leaning towards Dinwiddie in the starting five, Thomas' high-level isolation scoring should give him a strong case in closing groups.

The coach's next lineup decision won't wait long, with the Nets returning home to face the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.