Besides a Knicks fan, of course, there is another person who may be happy about Mikal Bridges' departure to New York this summer. He is at the neighbor's house in Brooklyn, and it is Cam Thomas. Indeed, the team's top scorer last season (22.5 points on average) saw the winger, the Nets' second-leading scorer, leave.
From now on, he will be more than ever the main option in attack for his team. To summarize: his weapons will be the same, he will simply have more ammunition at his disposal.
“I wouldn't say my role will change, but there will be more emphasis on what I'm supposed to do: scoring and making plays,” does he analyze for Clutch Points. “It's not going to change what I do, because I've always done the same thing since I've been here. I'm going to do it on another level, for sure.”
An awareness quickly accepted by the player. “As soon as the summer started, looking at the roster after Bridges left. I'm one of the old guys in that group, I want to be able to help the young guys.”he continues.
An extension in sight
Yet, Cam Thomas only has three NBA seasons under his belt, the first two of which were mostly marked by good stretches and bad ones, where he was stuck on the bench. But he has 190 games under his belt, in a difficult context with the departures of James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and now Mikal Bridges to swallow.
“I'm kind of used to it at this point, with the crazy things that have happened in my first three seasons. It's crazy, but it's part of the business as they say.”he relates, trusting the franchise's GM, Sean Marks, that he “must follow” in this reconstruction which will be more or less long.
Even if his role as a scorer is unlikely to change, since it is his best suit, how can Cam Thomas do better next season, with more responsibilities?
“By being even more of a leader,” he announces. “I'm really going to focus on that and do it really quickly. I did it a little bit in the second half of the season last year because I wanted to do it as the season went on. I'm one of the leaders on this team so I'm going to focus on that.”
This fourth season is important for the rear because it is the last of his rookie contract.
As he has not yet extended, he could be free in 2025. So this is the moment to shine, by confirming his good past year and progressing in other areas.
“I haven't talked about this yet,” he specifies however. “I'm preparing for the season, I'm not worrying too much about that. If I get minutes and I play, I think I'm one of the best players in the league.”
| Cam Thomas | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | BRK | 67 | 18 | 43.3 | 27.0 | 82.9 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 8.5 |
| 2022-23 | BRK | 57 | 17 | 44.1 | 38.3 | 86.8 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 10.6 |
| 2023-24 | BRK | 66 | 31 | 44.2 | 36.4 | 85.6 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 22.5 |
| Total | 190 | 22 | 44.0 | 34.4 | 85.5 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 14.0 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
