The last time Cam Thomas spent this much time coming off the bench, Jacque Vaughn was still the Nets head coach and the Mikal Bridges blockbuster was still six months from happening.
The last time Cam Thomas spent this much time coming off the bench, Jacque Vaughn was still the Nets head coach and the Mikal Bridges blockbuster was still six months from happening.
In late December and for most of January during the 2023-24 campaign, Thomas shifted to the second unit, with his glaring defensive weakness undoing his dynamic offensive contributions to the point where Brooklyn felt it needed a change.
Eventually, Thomas worked his way back into the starting lineup, and with the exception of two games last year, that’s where he’s stayed, even after Vaughn was fired, Kevin Ollie took over as interim coach and Jordi Fernández was eventually hired.
Their most consistent avenue for points in bunches remained the focal point of the Nets lineup. But in each of his six games since returning from a 20-game absence due to a left hamstring strain, Thomas has shifted back to the second unit, asked to be the cohesive link on the court alongside some of their youngest pieces.
At 24 years old and in his fifth NBA season, Thomas is the veteran of a group also including Danny Wolf (21 years old), Nolan Traore (19) and Drake Powell (20).
It’s a delicate balance for a Nets team more concerned — at the macro level — about drafting and developing.
