Suddenly, the Nets' leading scorer couldn't score.
Cam Thomas experienced a shooting funk for the first time in his professional career. It may have been the first long slump in his life.
“Oh, yeah, for the first time, I think people forget that I'm human,” Thomas, who recently turned 22, said this week. “I'm only in my third year. There's going to be ups and downs. …I'm going to have some bad games. [these]. But as for me, [I] Stay confident.I'm going to continue taking the same shots as before. [against Houston], against New Orleans. We made it all year round and we've played here every year since you guys saw it.
“So it doesn't affect me, but [not] I'm belittling myself. I want to keep playing and be confident and keep playing in the flow of the attack. Everything will definitely get better. ”
The talented young guard entered Friday's game against the Thunder at Barclays Center having missed 20 consecutive shots in his previous three games.
Thomas hadn't made a basket since last weekend, when he hit a 4-foot floater with 1:37 left in the same game against the Thunder. He failed his last two attempts in OKC.
And in Tuesday's game against New Orleans, he was 0-for-11 with no runs scored.
Finally, Thomas struggled on Wednesday night with a performance of 0 for 7 and 4 runs in the Nets' last-place game against Houston.
During the Nets' five-game losing streak, Thomas averaged just 9.4 points on 28.3 percent shooting and 3-of-17 from 3-point range.
But Thomas quickly ended his streak of missed shots Friday night with a layup off a scramble play in the first quarter. He knocked down a 17-foot jumper and made tough turnarounds on his next two attempts.
Thomas went on to score 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting, and the Nets returned to the win column with an upset win over the Thunder.
“Cam Thomas, he's young. He understands it on the fly,” Nick Claxton said after Thomas' bounce-back performance. “Defenses are guarding him in a different way. They're starting to pay more attention to him. … He's making the game a lot easier for everyone and picking his spots better. Cam It’s nice to see him roll and knock down shots.”
“Grenade after grenade”
In general, Thomas' shot diet was not a problem. He wore a similar look to the one he created earlier in the season.
“I just miss them,” Thomas said this week. “Honestly, it’s nothing. [opponents] Are doing. To be honest, I'm just missing out. He’s getting to the paint, he’s missing layups, he’s getting everything he wants. I missed the mid-range shots that I usually take, and I missed a lot of looks from the 3 and step-back 3 that I usually take. ”
The Nets needed to get Thomas right. And they said it was more a case of them failing him than he failing them.
“Well, if you were looking [the New Orleans] We put him in some bad positions in this game,” Cam Johnson said. “I mean grenade after grenade, grenade after grenade late. It's a tough position. And if you can make the first five or six shots of the game from there, you can't do it. [get in a rhythm].
“…I'm not going to put anything on him. We put him in a bad position. And he's a talented scorer, so I told him during the game, 'Just keep your head up.' Told. This is tough. But it's a collective thing. ”His 0-for-11 hit should, in a way, reward a team where he had to force a shot with the ball with three seconds left.
“So a lot of it comes down to how we move the ball, how we position ourselves, how we put pressure on the rim and create kickout opportunities and easier shots. So you don't necessarily have to make difficult shots.'' You have to be patient. ”
In many ways, this summed up the Nets' broken offense.
Thomas is arguably the best tough shot maker on the roster, but the Nets are out of sync, leading to a higher-than-usual diet of difficult looks and late isolation.
“This is proof that we know he can score one-on-one and with some of his grenades, he's gotten us out so many times before, so that's a compliment,” Nets said. 's head coach Jacque Vaughn said earlier in the week. Before the Thunder won. “But no player wants all of that during the game. I think CT is trying to make the right plays. And in the first half [in Houston] He could have recorded four assists. He's trying to make the right play.
“Our whole group is having a bad time right now and he's just one part of it. It also helps when other teammates are making shots. … So I'm hoping he can get into his own groove. I'm completely confident that he'll find it. He's too good not to.”
matter of opinion
Thomas is the Nets' leading scorer with 20.7 points per game (Mikal Bridges has 20.6 points) and ranks 41st in the NBA in scoring, all but 21-year-olds Paolo Banchero and Alperen Shengyun. Younger than the players above.
But he's a defensively challenged off-guard and not a very good creator, which is one reason front office staffs around the league have such differing opinions on his value. . Some have criticized his defense. Others praise his ability to get to his spots and get to the free throw line.
Bourne is right in thinking that Thomas is trying to do the right thing.
Yes, fired coach Steve Nash challenged Thomas to improve his playmaking. Earlier this season, TV cameras caught Claxton yelling at Thomas to pass him the ball. His two players (Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr.) who are just ahead of Thomas in the scoring rankings are averaging fewer assists per game than his 2.2 assists.
But Thomas is trying to change that. He tied his career-high five assists twice in the past 10 games (Friday night he had zero assists in 24 minutes).
The Nets picked up Thomas' $4 million option for next season, but no decision has been made yet on whether to extend him or risk restricted free agency.
Add to that the worst slump of Thomas' career. As of now, the Nets are not in a position to win without Thomas.
In Vaughn's perfect world, Ben Simmons' pace would create open 3-point shots, and his defense would make up for some of Thomas and Spencer Dinwiddie's deficiencies in that regard.
Thomas is at his best when paired with a defender like Simmons (or reserve Dennis Smith Jr.), but Simmons has only played in six games and is still sidelined with a hip injury. Therefore, such plans are meaningless.
The Nets are outscored by 8.6 points per 100 possessions with Thomas on the floor.
approach the bench
Coach Bourne removed Thomas from the starting lineup on Dec. 29 and replaced him with forward Dorian Finney-Smith, adding defensive strength and size on the floor. The return of Lonnie Walker IV (who hasn't played since Nov. 30) on Friday could provide some offensive punch off the bench and potentially eat into Thomas' playing time.
To his credit, Thomas has said all the right things about excelling in the role he's in since coming off the bench.
Some fans believe the move may have hurt Thomas' confidence and led to a slump. Perhaps fans have never met him.
“He's a very talented scorer and we know what he can do when he takes a shot, so we just keep him consistent,” Claxton said. “Obviously, he's going to continue to have confidence in himself. Cam's not the type of player to lose confidence in himself.”
Thomas said he was working too hard for the slump to last long.
“All I know is the time and effort I put in,” Thomas said. “We're trying to get people involved a little bit more often. But we as a team… have to stick to the principles we learned in training camp, stick to our identity as a team and keep playing no matter what.” No matter who's making shots or missing shots, we're just going to stick to our identity as a team. So I'm going to continue to do that.”
