Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas has carried over his breakout 2022-23 season over to the early stages of this season.
Thomas came off the bench to score 36 points in Brooklyn’s season opener, a one-point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and scored 30 points as a starter in a 125-120 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
On Monday night, the 22-year-old Thomas earned his second start of the season and led Brooklyn to a 133-121 win over the Hornets in Charlotte, the team’s first victory of the season. In doing so, the one-time Louisiana State University star became the second-youngest player in NBA history to have three straight 30-point games to begin the season. Only fellow LSU Tiger Shaquille O’Neal, who in the early 1990s established himself as a future NBA great, was younger.
Not only was the 6-foot-3-inch Thomas averaging 33 points heading into the Nets’ game last night (Wednesday) against the Heat in Miami, but he was shooting 61.4%.
“I think he’s enjoying competing on both ends of the floor and that part of it, I think he is gaining an extreme amount of trust with his teammates,” said Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn on Monday of the prolific Thomas.
“We know he has the ability to score the basketball, but it’s not forced. It’s within the flow of our offense, which you see. And then at certain times we need him to get a bucket, then he’s capable of doing that also. So he is learning how to survey the game a little bit when he’s needed when he’s a facilitator when he’s getting to the paint for us, which he’s done that at a high level also.”
The Nets were 1-2 before facing the Heat and played their previous two games before meeting the Heat without starting center Nic Claxton, who suffered an ankle injury in the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On Monday, the Nets also announced starting forward Cam Johnson will be out 10 days due to a strained calf.
With Johnson and Claxton sidelined for the Nets’ win over the Hornets, it was an impressive victory in Vaughn’s view.
“We earned this win tonight because we did a lot of things that we have been working on to a high level,” he said.
“Whether that’s being locked into the game plan, I think, which we executed extremely well. And that started with that first group. To jump out with a lead like we had to, to have the physicality, the shot selection, the pace. When you establish those things on the road, generally good things happen after that.”
Thomas noted the play of Ben Simmons as being impactful on the win. The 6-foot-10-inch point forward played a season-high 35 minutes, and was averaging 8.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in three games this season when he went up against the Heat.
“We’re getting comfortable with him,” Thomas said. “He’s playing fast, uptempo, he’s going to find us, so the main thing is that we just got to run and we know he’s going to find us… And obviously, you know, he’s playing well…I wouldn’t say at his full potential yet, but he’s getting back in stride, he’s, he’s looking real good and he’s been solid.”
The Nets’ upcoming games have them challenging the Bulls in Chicago tomorrow, the Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center on Saturday and the Milwaukee Bucks and the L.A. Clippers at home on Monday and next Wednesday respectively.