Getty Cam Thomas #24 of the Brooklyn Nets.
Heading into their matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 9, Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas saw his minutes decrease in six consecutive games and did not play (coach’s decision) in their previous matchup against the Houston Rockets. But in their matchup against Milwaukee, the Nets had five players on the injury report, which opened up a lot of minutes for the second-year guard, who scored 21 points in 26 minutes in the loss.
Thomas’ performance may have been eye-opening for some, but he knows that anytime he has the opportunity to shine, he’ll make magic happen.
“They (the Bucks) tried to force you into the mid-range so of course I’m gonna take them because that’s what I do,” Thomas told reporters after the loss via YES.
“But you gotta like to mix it in, take the threes and get to the basket. Just being aggressive going to the basket. That’s what I did. Got to the line twice. In the last two minutes of the game, got a little rhythm and that’s when I started running off the points. But you just got to be aggressive against the drop coverage from Brook (Lopez) and you just got to attack the rim and be aggressive.”
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Jacque Vaughn Defends Controversial Decision
Thomas was one of the leading scorers in a bench explosion that the Nets delivered against the Bucks. Brooklyn’s reserves outscored their starters 98-15. Per ESPN Stats & Info that is the most since the NBA started tracking starters/bench players in 1970-71. Vaughn’s controversial decision to keep his reserves in during crunch time of a very winnable game resulted in a five-point loss. But Vaughn says with the Nets being on the first night of a back-to-back, he had to consider the bigger picture.
“Yeah, it’s just how the schedule presented itself. We had guys who had some nagging I guess you want to call them injuries a little bit. So, a chance for us to listen to those nagging injuries and be smart about what this stretch of the season looks like,” Vaughn said after the loss.
“It’s a great chance for us to look at a few guys who were in the rotation at one point and worked themselves out of the rotation just because of numbers. So, we get a chance to look at a few guys we’ll see what some rotations look like. We’ll always stay curious and see how we can be versatile to try and get a win.”
Cam Johnson Addresses Looming Contract Decision
Despite making several roster adjustments at the February trade deadline the Nets still could be faced with tough decisions during this coming offseason. That is because Cam Johnson, who was one of the centerpieces in the Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns trade, is set to become a restricted free agent in July. But despite a tough decision looming over the future of the former North Carolina Tar Heel, Johnson says all of his focus is on this season.
“You’ve got to think why you’re doing it in the first place. And then you’ve got to think what you’re doing it for, and it’s because, at the end of the day, I love to compete and play this game,” Johnson said to the New York Post.
“I’ve said this — because this was a topic of discussion when I didn’t sign the extension — and I tried to tell them that I’m still under contract at this moment. I still had that year. I still have the rest of this year. And my goal right now is to win games and make a playoff push.”