Clearly angry Cam Thomas is the best Cam Thomas.
The stoic young guard has been criticized in the past for his indifferent defense and poor passing. But there he got physical and even tingly on Sunday. He rebounded, he was playmaking, he led with both his words and his energy.
This is the Thomas the Nets need.
“Sometimes when teams go on runs, we get depressed,” Thomas said. “I just wanted to step out of my comfort zone and energize the team and lead by example. [Sunday] Let’s talk a little more so we don’t fall into another hole.
“So, I want to step out of my comfort zone and just lead the guys, and I think that was a good thing.”
The Nets will want him to be comfortable outside of his comfort zone.
Thomas scored 29 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting in Sunday’s 120-101 rout at Cleveland, but was more fortunate in the long run with seven rebounds, five assists and a body-scoring performance. It was a play with a lot of tension.
The Nets used a spirited version of that to rout the Cavaliers, and they’ll need it again after Wednesday’s game against Orlando.
Thomas has a $4 million contract next season, and even though it would make sense for Brooklyn to wait until the summer of 2025 for an extension, the young guard could either force their hand or increase his value. That’s it.
It’s no coincidence that Thomas was plus-27 on Sunday against Cleveland, his best mark of the season and second-best of his career. This was a game the Nets were trying to get out of him.
And it’s not just his coaches, from Steve Nash to Jacque Vaughn to interim coach Kevin Ollie. But so are his teammates.
“Yes, we challenged him on EGB.” [energy-generating behaviors, like rebounding]. He had seven rebounds and five assists. So that wasn’t all he scored,” Oley said. “He’s contributing in other ways and it’s great to see that. We want him to continue to do that. We’re going to continue to challenge him. We want him to be a masterpiece offensively as well.” And I want him to be a masterpiece defensively as well. And he can do that. But we have to keep trying. [him].
“And it’s not just from our coaching staff, it’s our players challenging him to be special because we know how talented he is. ”And we must continue to take advantage of that and continue to share his masterpiece with the world.But he showed it all [Sunday]. I got hurt a little bit and banged his knee, so I tried to get him out, but then he hit two threes, so I was like, ‘Oh, okay, stay.’ was. But his toughness, his resilience, his resilience, coming back on the court means the world to us. ”
His toughness was evident in the way he played through knee pain, making positive contact and persevering.
And moments later, after making contact with Isaac Okoro before the whistle, he grabbed a rebound with three seconds left in the third, raced upcourt and made a 37-foot heave to beat the buzzer.
“Yes, I was fouled as usual.” [They] I was a little frustrated because I didn’t make the call,” Thomas said. “Then please give me a little bit of energy to move forward.”
Or, as Mikal Bridges succinctly put it, “CT has become CT mode.”
But it’s starting to mean something else now.
Thomas is no longer just an isolation scorer or unwilling passer.
As defenders pulled him into the paint, Thomas searched the paint to find teammates, becoming a secondary playmaker alongside Dennis Schroder on a team that needed teammates.
Thomas is averaging just 1.7 assists in his career, but has averaged 3.8 assists in his past 13 games.
And on Sunday, he set the tone with a passing layup and an open 6-foot shot to Bridges on his first possession.
“When I’m in the lineup, I’m more of a creator, so just know that I’m going to give him more of an open look,” Thomas said.
“I believe [Ollie] For trusting me in these situations with the ball, making decisions, playing through injuries…I’m very grateful to him for that, and my teammates are very grateful to me for trusting me in these situations with the ball. I’m grateful that they knew I could make the right play for them. ”
