Gilbert Arenas campaigns for the Brooklyn Nets to start Cam Thomas: "We know what he's capable of"

Thomas just scored 36 points off the bench in the Nets’ season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

© Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Cam Thomas has continued to tear it up as one of the most skilled scorers on the Brooklyn Nets roster. He is fresh off a strong 36-point performance off the bench in the 2023/24 season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He already proved himself in the 2022/23 season as an explosive scorer when he had three straight 40-point games, a feat only replicated by two All-Stars and MVP candidates, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Devin Booker. 

This has led to some people clamoring him to get the starting shooting guard spot, including former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas.

“Brooklyn, stop the bulls**t already. You know who your best player is already. We all know who he is. You’re gonna go try and James Harden him and keep him on the bench,” Gil said on his Gil’s Arena Show. “Every time he has gotten his shots, he’s done went bananas. We know what he’s capable of.”

Arenas knows what it takes to be a skilled scoring guard

During his NBA career, Arenas was a superb scoring guard, peaking at 29.3 points per game during the 2005/06 season. He played more like a modern NBA guard during his heyday as he was launching plenty of threes, and he had the explosive bag that guards like Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry have now.

Both Cam Thomas and Gilbert Arenas excel in isolation plays, dominating defenders. Arenas, once a second-round pick, defied expectations with three All-Star selections, All-NBA honors, and the 2003 Most Improved Player award, indicating Thomas could follow a similarly impactful path in his career.

Thomas has a clear path to start in Brooklyn

The LSU product has proven he’s a talented scorer, and he has a chance to be a fixture in the Nets starting lineup. His fourth-year team option just got accepted, meaning he will be with the team until the end of the 2024/25 season. The Nets will likely extend him as he fits their building blocks in Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton, and Ben Simmons.

Spencer Dinwiddie, currently the starting shooting guard, is in the final year of his contract for the 2023/24 season. Should he depart, Cam Thomas has a direct route to join Ben Simmons in the backcourt starting lineup.

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