Executive Sends Strong Message on ‘Overconfident’ Nets Guard

Getty Cam Thomas #24 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts late in the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center

The Brooklyn Nets roster is looking to be rounding out as training camp rapidly approaches. The team has added a collection of players heading into camp like Markieff Morris, Yuta Watanabe, Chris Chiozza, and David Duke Jr. on a variety of contract types. Those signings come along with recent additions like Royce O’Neale and TJ Warren and key re-signings of Nic Claxton and Patty Mills. Joining the signings and acquisitions are Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, who after all signs looked like they would not be back in Brooklyn, are making a triumphant return to Atlantic Avenue. 

Irving, Durant, and the recent acquisitions will also team up with Joe Harris and Ben Simmons, who are expected to be fully healthy and 100% for camp after lingering injuries. One of the Nets’ strengths ahead of the season is their depth. They are 2-3 deep at every position, and one of the biggest question marks they have is Cam Thomas. Thomas proved he could contribute on the NBA level when he played consistent minutes filling in for injured Nets mid-season. He also again lit up the Summer League in an award-winning campaign. 

Cam Thomas’ Role for the Upcoming Nets Season

Heavy asked one NBA executive what kind of role he thinks we could expect from the second-year guard with the Nets this upcoming season.

“Really good scorer. He knows he is, that is part of the problem. He does not know his role, he has not figured that out.. Volume scoring is just not what they need off the bench, a volume shooter. He showed what he can do in Summer League again, but we knew all that. Can you learn to pass? Can you make plays for others? Can you put in the work on your 3-pointer so you can be an effective scorer in today’s NBA and not just a guy who gets to the rim? There is a lot to prove there still, you just have to hope he is not overconfident,” the executive said. 

Thomas went viral for a reaction he had to Steve Nash’s critique after a big game in the Vegas Summer League, where the Nets head coach noted he wants to see more playmaking from the guard. Thomas had a strong summer league and showcased an ability to create for his teammates. Will it be enough for him to crack the Nets rotation? When given minutes last season when the Nets were battling injury, he averaged 16.5 and 3 rebounds per game while averaging nearly 27 minutes of play. 

Cam Thomas Trade Talks Last Season

Cam Thomas proved enough with his strong play last season that he found himself attached to trade rumors in the season and even this summer. One coach even revealed to Heavy that his team called about acquiring Thomas. 

“We called about him last year. I think just about everyone called about him at the trade deadline last year if you were looking for young players. He wasn’t going to play if they were gonna make a Finals run if they had everyone. So we wanted to give up a veteran and take him back. Didn’t happen,” one Eastern Conference head coach told Deveney. “He plays with great pace, and he has a knack for scoring the ball, obviously. Pure scorer. But they were not moving him last year, they made that pretty clear. Now, it would be even tougher to get him away from them because they don’t know what is next with KD and (Kyrie) Irving. He could be a guy who gets a lot of minutes with them next year, they’re not looking to give him away. They don’t want to rebuild, they are not trying to do a fire sale there. They want to stay in the mix in the East. He can help them with that.”