Cam Thomas isn’t afraid to put up shots for the Brooklyn Nets.
That fearlessness has him averaging 24.9 points per game this season, which is 15th in the league. Despite Brooklyn’s attempt at openly tanking this year to secure top prospects like Cooper Flagg, the Nets have a 4-4 record and are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn is one of three teams in the East with at least four wins this season, alongside the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers and defending champion Boston Celtics.
Cam Thomas: All-Star?
Thomas has been an integral part of Brooklyn’s early-season success, and his scoring output this season is ahead of well-known All-Stars such as Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Atlanta’s Trae Young, and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell. The Nets rank ninth in three-pointers made, offensive rating, and true shooting percentage, and are 14th in the league with an average of 106.3 points per game. That’s mostly thanks to the 23-year-old, the NBA’s top scorer in the fourth quarter at 10.1 points per game.
He didn’t rank in the top 25 for fourth-quarter scorers last season, but is shooting a blistering 56% from the field and 47% from deep in the final frame. Thomas has racked up 81 total points, well ahead of second-place Luka Doncic, who has scored 58 fourth-quarter points for the Dallas Mavericks. Those splits have come on tough shots, making his efficiency and growth more impressive.
With the Nets leading 115-109 over the Chicago Bulls and under two minutes left late in the shot clock, Thomas put up a three from half-court without hesitation and drilled it to leave announcer Ian Eagle in shambles.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XNhjqCEznbU
Are These Just Empty Stats?
It’s easy to dismiss the young guard’s production as “empty stats.”
A bad Brooklyn team in rebuild mode has provided him with ample opportunities to pile up shot attempts, building on the reputation he earned as a “shot chucker” after his freshman year at LSU when he was the leading scorer. In the NBA, he’s more than doubled his shot attempts, aided by Mikal Bridges leaving this offseason for the New York Knicks, from the player who just two seasons ago averaged 10.6 points and only played 16.6 minutes per game.
It goes deeper than that though. Despite taking 19.5 shots a game, his efficiency from the field has remained mostly consistent with his career averages. Now in his fourth season, he’s shooting 42.3% from the field, a tick below the 44% he shot over his first three years in the league while his three-point shooting has dipped slightly from an average of 34% to 31% this season. As the opposing team’s best defender regularly guards him, since he’s Brooklyn’s only player who averages at least 20 points per game, his play is more impressive.
Is Thomas a True Point Guard?
Another knock on Thomas is that he doesn’t pass the ball enough but that is also due to the developing Nets roster, which is the eighth youngest in the league. He’s only averaging 3.1 assists per game, but he’s contributed 6.5 potential assists per contest, a stat that measures how many times a teammate shoots the ball within one dribble of catching it. With that number, his assist total should be closer to 4.4 when adjusted, which is more respectable for a player of his position.
It remains to be seen whether he can keep up this type of production, but if he does, and the team is still hovering around .500 at the All-Star break, it’s not crazy to think Thomas will receive All-Star consideration. His play has accelerated the timeline of the Nets’ rebuild and Thomas could cement himself as an important part of Brooklyn’s future this season, regardless of its record.
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