Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez emphasized one goal for Cam Thomas this season: he wanted to help the fourth-year guard be more efficient offensively, on and off the ball. Through two preseason games, Thomas has shown improvement in that department.

The 22-year-old turned in an impressive offensive performance during a 131-92 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday. He posted 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from three. The showing comes after Thomas scored 12 points on five shots during Brooklyn's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I'm just getting out and running more, getting a lot of easier shots,” Thomas said after the win. “Just playing off the ball a little bit and shooting the catch-and-shoot shots that I'm given. Obviously, at some point I'm gonna be able to create and do a lot of the one-on-one game because sometimes that's what the game requires. But right now, I'm just trying to play within the offense and find my spots. I've been doing that and making my shots and executing really well out of it.”

Thomas received a boost from several of his Nets teammates throughout the decisive win.

Cam Thomas and Ben Simmons lead Nets in blowout of Wizards

Ben Simmons also impressed against Washington after a quiet night against the Clippers. The three-time All-Star posted 11 points, five rebounds and two assists on 5-of-7 shooting in 13 minutes.

Simmons was aggressive out of the gate in Brooklyn's five-out offense without Nic Claxton. He drove to the basket three times on the game's first two possessions, resulting in two easy layups.

This preseason marks Simmons' first game action in over seven months after he underwent back surgery in May. With two performances under his belt, the 28-year-old said he feels 100 percent physically as the regular season approaches. Fernandez said Simmons' limited minutes vs. Washington are part of a return to play progression, although he intended to play him more.

“We had a plan for him,” the coach said. “When you have a back surgery you have to build up and go one step at a time so your body can adjust. Real minutes are never going to be replicated anywhere, even if you train. You don't have the fans, you don't have the officials. So that build up has to make sense. We have guys working here with us, our performance and medical teams that are really good at what they do. I listen to what they have to tell us.

“We had a plan where he should've played more minutes. The reason why he only played one more minutes than last game is because I made a mistake. It should've been more minutes in that first half.”

Sophomores Noah Clowney and Jalen Wilson were also bright spots during the win. Clowney posted 11 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals on 5-of-7 shooting. Wilson added 14 points, three rebounds and two assists on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Clowney is primed for an expanded role following a promising rookie campaign, while Wilson could be in line for a rotation spot after earning MVP honors at this year's Summer League.

Shake Milton chipped in 16 points and three assists on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench. The veteran guard joined the Nets in a sign-and-trade from the New York Knicks as part of Brooklyn's return for Mikal Bridges.

The Nets will continue preseason action on Wednesday with a road matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.