The Brooklyn Nets may have started to trim their roster to begin a rebuild and youth movement, but fortunately, the team already has a young, scoring guard on its roster. Cam Thomas spent three seasons with the Nets, though he just got an expanded role that will allow him to shine.
Coming off a season that saw 51 starts in 66 games, the 22-year-old (soon to be 23) point guard is ready to take on some responsibility in Brooklyn as the club enters a new era. He’s one of the longest-tenured players in the organization despite his young age, so he makes sense as a leader at the point guard position.
The Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks to help kick off the new era, and the path is now clear for Thomas to take the reins as leader. He shared his understanding of the role in a recent interview with SLAP.
“I just know that and I accept it,” Thomas said of his role. “I tackle it head on. I’ve kind of had those roles [as the leader of the team] “I’ve been in high school and college since I was in high school. So I’m not really worried about it. I’m just excited to get started and try to make it in the league. I’m not really worried about it at all; I’m just ready.”
As mentioned earlier, the LSU product is an incredible scorer. Last season, Thomas topped 20 minutes per game for the first time, going 31.4 minutes per game. With more playing time, the Nets point guard averaged 22.5 points per game.
With Brooklyn, Thomas will be able to play a bigger role on the court, but in what areas does he want to improve his game? The Nets point guard gave a pretty concrete answer, citing 25 points per game and improvement in other areas that would be a perfect season as he enters his fourth year.
“I do everything, I do it consistently,” he said. “I had the biggest increase in points from my sophomore to junior year. I was at 22.5 [points per game]so I think I’m going to try to get to that 25 points per game range, improve my game and try to continue to improve my game overall. And hopefully that leads to some wins.
Even if the Nets aren’t particularly competitive next season, watching the growth of the young players will give fans a reason to tune in and stay connected to the club as they navigate a rebuild.
Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the cover.
