With a snap of the fingers, Cam Thomas went from laughter to tears last November 8, during the meeting between the Nets and the Clippers. Left to do his usual work in attack, the Brooklyn back suddenly injured his left ankle. Examinations carried out the next day confirmed a serious sprain, requiring him to be kept away from the field for at least two weeks.
Cam Thomas was seen on Tuesday with his protective boot on the sidelines of the match won against the Magic and he must be patient while his next evaluation by the medical staff is scheduled for in a week. Which seems like an eternity for him, who had avoided injuries since the start of his career.
“I’ve had ankle sprains before, but they were mostly little twists and I’d come back the next game or even in the same game. But this was a more serious ankle sprain, so it was one of my first.”, he explained.
Only one objective: return to your best level as quickly as possible
A situation that he is visibly having difficulty managing while his hands must already be itching, especially since he had an exceptional start to the season averaging 26.9 points over his eight matches played.
“Of course it’s frustrating. I played very well, I helped the team, we fought well”he added. “How much should I have been, 6th or 7th best scorer in the NBA at that time? So it’s clear that it’s frustrating. But at the end of the day, there’s a reason for everything, and I’m just going to try to do my rehab the best I can so I can get back to the level I was at. It’s the only thing that matters to me.”
Progress is still very slight since he still has to move around with protection to keep his ankle still. “I’m feeling better and getting better and better, so the only thing I’m looking forward to is just trying to speed up the process so I can come back and help the team.” he nevertheless assures.
In his absence, Brooklyn, which also lost Ben Simmons, has so far held its own by losing only one match (against Boston) and therefore remains on two wins against Washington and Orlando.
| Cam Thomas | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | 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 | 8 | 32 | 47.9 | 32.1 | 85.1 | 0.3 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 26.9 |
| Total | 132 | 18 | 44.3 | 31.9 | 85.3 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 10.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
