Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn faced scrutiny for Cam Thomas' benching amid the team's offensive struggles late last season. With Thomas' role in question entering 2023-24, questions surrounding the 2021 first-round pick persisted early in training camp. However, the skeptics were silenced ahead of Brooklyn's preseason opener, with Vaughn giving Thomas a surprise starting nod in place of the injured Cam Johnson.

The third-year guard took full advantage of the opportunity, leading all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from three. And while Thomas' patented heat-check scoring dominated the headlines, Vaughn pointed to the 21-year-old's defensive engagement when asked what positives he took from the performance.

“For me, I was looking at the defensive end of the floor,” the coach said. “Was he in the right position? Were the boxouts the way they were supposed to be? Were the matchups the way they were supposed to be? Was he detailed in his approach? Those things were really good.”

The vote of confidence from Vaughn regarding Thomas' defense is a significant development for a player who struggled on that end during his first two seasons.

Offensively, Thomas scored nine first-half points with the starters, none of which came in isolation. The 21-year-old drained an early corner three off the catch, something Brooklyn wants him to do at an expanded rate this season. He followed that with a pair of decisive two-dribble pull-ups.

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“I think overall he pretty much played in the flow of the offense,” Vaughn said of Thomas' minutes with the starters. “He found space. I love the fact that he shot the three-ball, which we want him to do. Some of those have turned into off-the-bounce twos in the past, but catch-and-shoot threes are great. So the things that we are asking him to do and work on, I think you saw some carryover.”

Vaughn's desire for Cam Thomas to commit to his three-point shot shouldn't come as a surprise. The coach frequently voiced his desire for the team to attempt 40 threes per game last season. Thomas' shot profile didn't align with that philosophy.

The LSU product attempted 53 percent of his shots from mid-range, which ranked in the 99th percentile among combo guards, per Cleaning The Glass. He shot just 41 percent on those attempts, ranking in the 34th percentile. However, he made significant strides in his three-point efficiency, shooting 38.3 percent after converting at a 27 percent clip in his rookie season. That improvement has inspired confidence from the coaching staff in his off-ball capabilities.

While Thomas posted an efficient first half with the starters, the fireworks didn't come until his minutes with the second unit. He exploded for 17 third-quarter points on 6-of-7 shooting. That included a stretch where he drained three triples on three consecutive possessions.

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Thomas will likely return to the bench after Johnson returns from his hamstring injury. He presents an enticing fit with the second unit as a microwave scorer surrounded by versatile defenders: Dennis Smith Jr., Royce O'Neale, and Dorian Finney-Smith, to name a few. Despite this, Vaughn insisted Thomas will not dominate the ball with the bench unit, again emphasizing that Brooklyn won't play isolation basketball in 2023-24.

“I think it has to be in the flow of the offense,” the coach said when asked about the value of Thomas' scoring with the bench unit. “No one on our team is going to play isolation basketball and bring the ball down and wave everybody out of the way and go to work. That ‘Go to work,’ we should never say ‘Go to work’ on our team.”

“This is a collective unit. Cam has a unique ability to score the basketball. We’ll try to put him in positions where he can score but also set other guys up. I think he has the ability to do both.”

While Vaughn insists Thomas will not play the high-usage, isolation-heavy brand of basketball that made headlines early in his career, the Nets will be forced to lean into the guard's high-level shot creation at times, given the roster's lack of three-level scoring.

Cam Thomas will have another opportunity to showcase his fit with Brooklyn's starters and bench unit when the Nets make their 2023-24 home debut Thursday against Maccabi Ra’anana.