ORLANDO, Fla. — The Nets have had the worst offense in the NBA since losing Cam Thomas.
However, they are on the brink of regaining the scoring title.
And they hope to regain the offensive power they lost with him.
Thomas was listed as likely to play in Sunday's game against the Magic.
The young shooting guard has missed the past 13 games with a left hamstring strain.
Brooklyn went just 4-9 in those games, so his return can't come too soon for the struggling Nets.
Center Nick Claxton recently said of Thomas' return, “It would be great to have Cam Thomas back and get a real half-court bucket, half-court scorer.” “That's fine. We miss him so much right now.”
Thomas is certainly a bucket-lister, averaging a team-high 24.7 points on impressive shooting splits of .461/.389/.866, with all but the last one a career high. are.
And to say Brooklyn misses him is a total understatement.
Despite most sportsbooks expecting the Nets to finish second-worst in the league, they got off to a surprisingly strong start with an offense that exceeded expectations.
With a win over Golden State, which was leading the Western Conference at the time, they finished with 8 wins and 10 losses, posting the league's eighth-best offensive rating (115.0).
But Thomas was injured in the win over the Warriors, and since then Brooklyn's offensive rating has been 29th, or second-worst, at 105.5.
Without point guard Dennis Schroder to run the pick-and-roll, Brooklyn relies almost entirely on Ben Simmons to move the team in transition.
Even when they couldn't get easy buckets in transition or early offense, they scored with gusto in the half court.
They don't have players who can create their own.
Although small forward Cam Johnson, who missed Friday's game against San Antonio with a right hip contusion and is listed as possible against the Magic, has shown newfound ability, it's not his strength.
But it is, and always will be, Thomas's.
His 1.24 points per possession in isolation is the best in the league (among players who averaged more than two isos in 15 games).
The eight, which ranks just behind Thomas with Jayson Tatum's 1.18, Kevin Durant's 1.14 and Kyrie Irving's 1.13, should show how prolific he has become.
And how important it is for a team that was already short on talent.
Thomas had not played since before Thanksgiving, and Brooklyn's offense quickly deteriorated as soon as he left the lineup.
“Obviously, it's different for everyone. We've got a lot of guys in the spots, but our offense is different now, so it's just a matter of everyone adjusting. It's part of the game. We're professionals. So it's not easy. It's definitely a challenge,” Claxton said. “But we'll get there. And like I said, when we get there. [Thomas] Please come back, it will be helpful. ”
Thomas is said to be the likely choice, and could come as early as Sunday against the Magic.
