Inside The Nets

Jacque Vaughn believes Cam Thomas is still “growing”

Cameron Thomas has continued to prove he’s one of Brooklyn’s best players.

Marin Gabric

© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The Brooklyn Nets’ Cameron Thomas is arguably the best young scorer in the league. Surprisingly, Thomas has not locked in the starting shooting guard spot in the lineup because Coach Jacque Vaughn believes it’s not the optimal decision.

Despite his lack of starter minutes, Cam has played well as the super sixth man. It was most prominent during the Nets’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers when the former LSU Tiger scored 33 points. The performance left Vaughn impressed enough to commend Thomas after the game.

“He saved us in that first half, for sure. His ability to get us open looks. They got to a point where they started trapping him, then we got some looks out of that,” Vaughn said in the post-game interview after beating the Lakers. 

“I just thought he did a lot of good things tonight, whether it was once he got the attention on him, he had four assists. His ability just to make the right play. He's just growing.”

Thomas’ playmaking evolution is a big deal

The statistics say Thomas averages 2.3 assists per game this season, but don’t get fooled by those numbers. He has evolved as a playmaker because he knows how to play within the offense while still playing his usual “bucket-getter” style.

Thomas made good reads and passes, leading to four assists against LA. He might not be a pure point guard, but Cam has the vision to play the lead guard role. Thomas playing more of a playmaker role opens many possibilities for Brooklyn because he can run alongside Mikal Bridges in the backcourt if he continues his growth in that aspect.

Vaughn should consider putting him back in the starting group

The Nets haven’t taken strides with Dorian Finney-Smith joining the starting lineup. Coach JV still has issues with Cam’s low level of defense and lack of size whenever the 22-year-old starts at shooting guard. However, Thomas playing as he did against the Lakers should be convincing enough for JV to adjust.

Vaughn can gamble with starting Cam at the point guard position alongside Mikal in the backcourt. That might be a good move to try out because he should be developing Cam into the franchise cornerstone.

It should be interesting to keep watching this Brooklyn team because they already have promising players, but they might capitalize on some of their current roster in trades to help players like Thomas and Bridges.

The Nets fall apart in the fourth quarter in a crushing loss to the LA Clippers

Published
Marin Gabric
MARIN GABRIC

Marin's love for writing developed in high school but was furthered in college when he took a number of creative writing courses. Doing sports writing felt like an extremely natural continuation, as it furthered his passions in both writing and basketball.  Marin loves the feeling of looking at stats after a game and analyzing what each team could've done better or what they excel in compared to the rest of the league. And the ability to do so for his favorite team, the Brooklyn Nets, is quite special in itself. 

Home/News