Cam Thomas Set to Become the Face of the Brooklyn Nets

The 22-year-old holds the eighth-highest odds to win the 2024-25 NBA scoring title.

Apr 10, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) handles the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Throughout his short professional career, Cam Thomas has proven he can deliver in bunches. In his inaugural season, then assigned to the Brooklyn Nets' G League affiliate, Thomas gave a glimpse into what would soon become. Matched up with the Raptors 905, the rookie exploded for 46 points in a 114-110 victory.

As he continued to find his footing, these monster-scoring outputs translated. In February of 2023, while Brooklyn was grappling with moving off of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, a string of Thomas' performances made that pill a little easier to swallow. From Feb. 3-7, he tallied 44, 47 and 43-point finishes, pointing to a potential future breakout.

In 2023-24, Thomas saw his nightly average jump from 10.6 to 22.5 points per game, and that number appears primed to rise again. The Nets have completely overhauled their roster since he first burst onto the NBA landscape back in 2021, paving way for Thomas to become the face of the now-rebuilding franchise.

On a recent episode of "The Lowe Post" podcast, ESPN's Bobby Marks took a polarizing stance when forecasting what 20224-25 could hold for Brooklyn's star.

"I think he might lead the league in scoring. I think he's gonna lead at least in shot attempts," he said. Marks then segwayed into the discussion surrounding a Thomas extension, as he is slated for restricted free agency next summer.

"Do you do something that makes sense now," he said. "What does make sense mean? Is it in the low 20 [millions]? Is that too rich for a guy that could average 28, 30 points a game? He's a restricted free agent next year, he's got such a low cap hold, you've got all this room and stuff like that."

As the Nets continue to be widely projected as next season's worst-performing team leaguewide, Thomas has a massive opportunity ahead of him. Paired with new head coach Jordi Fernandez, it's easy to predict another jump in scoring average for the former LSU standout. What remains to be seen is just how much that rise will impact Brooklyn, both next season and beyond.

Regardless of how the upcoming campaign bodes for the Nets will not impact the fact that Thomas is now their go-to guy, and general manager Sean Marks should do everything he can to make sure the 22-year-old is dropping 40-bombs in the Barclays Center for years to come.

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