Cam Thomas made his Madison Square Garden debut on the night of February 16, 2022. Down 18 points in the fourth quarter, the Brooklyn Nets Leaning on the 20-year-old rookie, he scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, sparking a 15-0 run for Brooklyn.
Then, after a faceoff, Thomas slid up the key and sank a 29-foot three-pointer, the dagger of the greatest comeback in Nets history, ending the night with a raucous celebration.
“I knew it was a one-on-one game,” Thomas said after the game.
Now, as he enters his fourth year, it’s time for a one-on-one battle again. The Nets traded Mikal Bridges for a series of draft picks, leaving things largely in Thomas’ hands. In an interview with SLAM, published Monday, Thomas told Curtis Rowser III that he understands that responsibility … and he’s taking it on.
“I know that and I accept it,” he said when asked how he approaches things. “I attack it head on. I’ve kind of had these 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.”
Known as one of the hardest workers at the HSS Training Center, Thomas said he took a little more time off this summer, but he’s checked off what he’s been working on since returning to the gym.
“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 mark, improve my game and try to continue to improve my game overall. And hopefully that leads to some wins.
Not only did Thomas have the biggest jump in the league in points scored (something he’s obviously very proud of), but he was also in excellent company among the league’s top scorers. Of the 32 players who averaged more than him last season, only two are younger, and both — Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero — were first-round picks.
Thomas, however, told Rowser that he no longer compares himself to other young scorers in the NBA. He knows he’s already there.
“I’m not looking to prove myself anymore. Everybody knows I’m one of the best young scorers – one of the best young guards – in the league now,” he told Rowser. “So I’m just looking to maximize my abilities, see where I can go and become the best player I can be, this year and for years to come.”
That’s not to say he’s forgotten what he considers the disrespect he’s felt for most of his career, especially when even after his three straight games of 40 or more points in February 2023, Jacque Vaughn diminished his accomplishment by noting that two of the three games were losses.
“I still carry that grudge on my shoulder,” he said of doubters, specifically referring to NBA general managers who passed on him to the 27th overall pick in the 2021 draft, “and even with the Nets, I didn’t play consistently my first two years. I have that in my back pocket so I can continue to grow and get better … to show why you should have played me my first two years.”
He was criticized early on for not focusing on other aspects of his game: playmaking and defense. They improved last season, but more needs to be done, especially on a rebuilding team where he knows he’s the man for the job.
“Individually, I just try to live in the moment. Whatever happens, happens. If I can do it, I get it. If I can’t do it, I don’t do it. I just want to keep getting better,” he said.
He also offered an assessment of the Nets for the upcoming season: no specific prediction, in part because he says he doesn’t know what the roster will look like.
“As far as the team goes, the goal is to get better every day and try to win as many games as possible. Honestly, we don’t know what our team is going to look like next season. But regardless, we just want to be the best team we can be and try to put a good product on the court for Brooklyn.”
Bottom line: What should the Nets expect from the player and the Nets?
“Excitement. Entertainment. [I’m] “I hope it all ends with a win,” he told Bowser. “We’ll see. It’s different in the League. But I’m prepared, I’m not worried at all. I did it in the League, but I want to go to another level, for sure.”
