How Much is Nets' Cam Thomas Worth?

The 22-year-old feels his much-improved season went "unnoticed."

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Through the massive disappointment that was the Brooklyn Nets' 32-50 2023-24 campaign, a potential up-and-coming star's development was completely overlooked.

Cam Thomas, the Nets' 2021 first round selection out of LSU, became one of the league's most lethal scorers, yet no one seemed to discuss the obvious improvement. He more than doubled his nightly scoring average from last season, tallying 22.5 points per game while simultaneously raising his shooting percentage. He is a modern day microwave, possessing the ability to explode for 40 any given game.

According to a piece from Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Thomas spoke on a lack of team success leading to his placement at 7th in Most Improved Player of the Year voting as well as his own personal development.

“Obviously, I feel like when you have a jump like that in all aspects, if you watch the games you see how I’m guarded and all the other stuff," he said. "I should definitely be in the top three of that conversation. … [But] we probably didn’t win enough games.”

Finishing higher in the award voting could have given Thomas far more leverage than he currently has now that he is eligible for a contract extension. Presently, he could easily command nearly $20 million per year, but that number will rise as long as his development continues.

Brooklyn would be smart to get a deal done as soon as possible. While doubtful, even if Thomas has hit his ceiling, he provides premier scoring that is hard to come by in this league. New head coach Jordi Fernandez's "player development-first" approach will surely help Thomas improve areas where needed, mainly defensively. He already began working on his playmaking last season with aid from assistant coach Jay Hernandez, who Fernandez retained from the previous staff.

“Just knowing that I could be doubled a lot more, coming off screens and stuff, or even in one-on-one situations, reading where the double will come from, seeing where teams double me, and the way teams double me,” Thomas said.

"“This year, I was going on the fly. Me and Jay [Hernandez, assistant coach,] was going over it. At the same time, I never went through that, so everything was new and learning on the fly. I’ll look at that and keep going over it and find quicker solutions to beat the double.”

The more complete of a player the 22-year-old becomes, the higher his price will be.

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