Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas made headlines early this month when he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40-plus points in three straight games. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out the door, many believed the LSU product's breakout stretch signaled the birth of a new lead man in Brooklyn.
Head coach Jacque Vaughn wasn't one of them.
Thomas moved back to the bench for the Nets' last three games with the trade-deadline arrivals of Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith. The second-year guard averaged just 19.7 minutes during that span after logging 35.7 per game during his historic scoring stretch.
And based on Vaughn's Wednesday comments, Thomas will need to get comfortable in a complementary role once again.
“I’ll continue to reiterate how important he is to our group. The three games of 40 [points] were awesome, super happy for him. They can’t ever take that away from him. He’s in the record books,” Vaughn said. “But at the same time, we lost two of those games. So the ultimate goal is to create a team and an atmosphere where everyone can be a participant and we’re gonna utilize and maximize everyone’s talent.”
With Thomas relegated to a bench role, it was Bridges who emerged as the star in Brooklyn's final game before the All-Star break. The 26-year-old scored a career-high 45 points in a 116-105 win over the Miami Heat. Thomas played 21 minutes, scoring 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting with four assists, filling pretty much exactly the efficient bench role Vaughn envisions for him going forward.
“What I think Cam can be is a bonafide, efficient and productive scorer for us when asked upon,” the head coach said. “He’s a guy that can shot-create, but we don’t anticipate him playing 40 minutes like he did in those [earlier] games. The big part of our whole group is we have depth, so why not lean into that?
“He was extremely efficient last game for us. And I think that’s an area that he can repeat over and over again and be asked to do that without it having a negative impact on the team overall. Because at the end of the day, it’s about the entire group and I’m gonna continue to push that culture more than anything else.”
While it may not be the starring role he stepped into earlier this month, Thomas should be a focal point of Brooklyn's offense moving forward. The 21-year-old is the most gifted scorer on the Nets' roster and will only improve with experience after sitting much of his first one-and-a-half seasons in the league.
But now comes the hard part: Will Thomas be satisfied with a bench role after a taste of stardom at the NBA level?
If his postgame press conference following the Miami win was any indication, the answer would be no. Thomas held a blank expression for the entire two minutes he was at the podium. His answers were short and lacking any sort of emotion, but he did admit his ever-changing role since arriving in Brooklyn has been difficult.
“It’s tough,” Thomas said. “From doing one thing and trying to adjust to the team because that’s just what you got to do. It’s tough for sure. So just got to figure it out and move on from there.”
Cam Thomas provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 19 points in the win. Thomas outscored Miami's bench by himself, 19-16. #NETSonYES pic.twitter.com/aEhBdNxcZ3
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) February 16, 2023
This is where Vaughn comes into play.
The Nets just gave him a contract extension three months after he took over for Steve Nash. The longtime assistant has been lauded for his ability to connect with players during his time in Brooklyn. Vaughn is now tasked with piecing together a new rotation on the fly as the Nets prep for the sprint to the playoffs.
For a team that just shifted its sights toward the future, Thomas' fit in that equation should be a key organizational priority.
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