Cam Thomas Showing Significant Offensive Improvement to Start Season

Thomas's numbers have gone up after a 43-point performance against the New York Knicks.

Nov 15, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) takes a shot against New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas continued to display his scoring prowess last night against the New York Knicks. In Madison Square Garden, Thomas dropped 43 points despite the 124-122 loss and put the Nets on his back on offense.

Thomas did so on incredible efficiency, going 16-for-22 from the field and making seven of his 10 three-pointers attempted. He was the catalyst behind a 21-point second-half comeback and kept New York from embarrassing the Nets in a cross-town rivalry game.

This type of scoring outburst is nothing new for Thomas, but it's important to note his improvement across multiple categories. For one, his defense has seen significant improvement. Questions surrounding whether he could guard well arose after last season, but through 13 games, he's held his own.

Cam Thomas doesn’t guard narrative drives me crazy.

He isn’t some lockdown defender but every single night this season he’s made good plays and impacted the game. He is holding his own. pic.twitter.com/Yw4m6LJNcF

— Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) November 16, 2024

More importantly, Thomas's offensive efficiency has seen a major improvement. Thomas's points, field-goal percentage, and three-point percentage are all up from last season thus far, and a big part of that is the impact of head coach Jordi Fernandez.

Fernandez has everyone on the Nets playing efficient basketball. This isn't a very talented group compared to the stars of the NBA, but they've played with chemistry and tenacity, squeezing out some impressive wins.

Thomas has had more efficient shooting nights than not, and even when he drops an absurd amount of points, he's either doing other things to help his team or just not shooting a whole lot.

Thomas still needs to develop as a facilitator, and if the 6-foot-3 guard could make plays for his teammates, the Nets' offense would elevate by a wide margin. However, it's great to see Thomas continue to make strides on top of his already impressive game.

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