What is Cam Thomas’ ceiling?

[NetsJets]

Cam Thomas is a polarizing figure on this team right now. What do you think is his ceiling? I see a guy that can score and play make a little but on a title contender he’s probably your 3rd best player. Possibly a Malik Monk type of player.

[Netaman]

That's pretty close except Monk probably a better shooter, Cam probably a little better going to hoop.

I've always thought Jordan Clarkson so i'll stick with that.

I do think the next 12-18 months should be about maximizing him though, because at the moment there's nothing better to do. Get a real PG next to him like Simmons would be if he wasn't broken, Murray could be that, and let him start consistently.

Certainly wouldn't extend him early so I think you do that and hope he develops or at least increases his value to be a centerpiece for a trade over that period of time.

[vincecarter4pres]

Neither Malik Monk, nor Cam Thomas are anywhere in the realm of 3rd best player on a contender, unless they’re contending for a top 5 pick.


He’s a 6xth man gunner with bad habits that will be hard to coach out of him.

My stance hasn’t changed much on him tbh.

[Netaman]

Neither Malik Monk, nor Cam Thomas are anywhere in the realm of 3rd best player on a contender, unless they’re contending for a top 5 pick.


He’s a 6xth man gunner with bad habits that will be hard to coach out of him.

My stance hasn’t changed much on him tbh.

same except i do think he used to be close to unplayable unless it was a give up game and he was getting like 30-40% usage.

i think he has now made himself more playable to his credit. i think he's halfway closer to reaching his upside but it hasnt changed his upside much (like you said, 6th man microwave scorer, which he hasnt seemed to embrace yet).

[Hello Brooklyn]

Oh God. The guy is one of the best scorers at his age and people are comparing him to Malik Monk.

He has the potential to be an all star and an elite scorer. The idea that he has to be the perfect type of teammate at age 22 is beyond asinine.

[Eatgreenz]

Neither Malik Monk, nor Cam Thomas are anywhere in the realm of 3rd best player on a contender, unless they’re contending for a top 5 pick.


He’s a 6xth man gunner with bad habits that will be hard to coach out of him.

My stance hasn’t changed much on him tbh.

Same basically a 6'2 shooting guard, his basically the same player he was on his scouting report coming into the nba draft. Barely any improvements in defense or playmaking

[Marvin Martian]

Oh God. The guy is one of the best scorers at his age and people are comparing him to Malik Monk.

He has the potential to be an all star and an elite scorer. The idea that he has to be the perfect type of teammate at age 22 is beyond asinine.

The problem is that this is the worst archetype to build around. He will put up empty scoring numbers and the team is forced to pay him a max or close to it. He doesn't make the necessary strides as a playmaker or a defender, so now you are saddled with a toxic contract for the next 5 years. This is essentially how you end up with a Zach Lavine type of problem

[NetsJets]

Nets Twitter thinks the team should be built around Cam

[sashaturiaf]

I think the Nets blew it with how they handled Cam after his string of 40 point games last season. Nets aren't winning anything for a while so even if you don't have Cam in your long term plans, he should have been unleashed to up his value.

Cam could have easily averaged 25+ on above average efficiency with the green light, and with the benefit of youth on his side he could bring back a very decent return on a trade. Instead JV buried him on the bench, damaged his perceived value around the league and instead forced Nets fans to suffer through Dinwiddie ball.

[Hello Brooklyn]

Oh God. The guy is one of the best scorers at his age and people are comparing him to Malik Monk.

He has the potential to be an all star and an elite scorer. The idea that he has to be the perfect type of teammate at age 22 is beyond asinine.

The problem is that this is the worst archetype to build around. He will put up empty scoring numbers and the team is forced to pay him a max or close to it. He doesn't make the necessary strides as a playmaker or a defender, so now you are saddled with a toxic contract for the next 5 years. This is essentially how you end up with a Zach Lavine type of problem

You guys keep acting like he doesn't try to pass or play defense. When he clearly does.

Is he ever going to be great at it? No. But he can become decent.

[Sharcm1]

Nothing if he stays with the nets

[Rastas]

Unfortunately he was exposed to a little too much of Kyrie when he came to the Nets , seems to have mentally justified his game on watching KI do what he does , but he has shown some signs of trying to blend into a more team oriented game style since - however the Nets have a JV who calls the shots ...........!

[76ciology]

Stay flat = Jordan Clarkson
Does not improve playmaking = Bradley Beal
Improve playmaking = Devin Booker

[JoseRizal]

He's only 22... with a good system and a good.coach, he can be a better NBA player.

If he was a lottery pick, people would have given him more opportunities.

This FO & coaching staff has failed him and other young players we have/had. It's too concerned of the optics of giving away a lottery pick to Houston and tried to still.compete and turn Bridges to a 1st option, but alas failed.

Where did this dumb decision led us? Outside of the play in (still a lottery pick gifted) and without properly developing our young players. Heck, our rookies have the least playing time of all rooks drafted in the first round last year, and WE'RE NOT EVEN A CONTENDER!

We're in purgatory, guys! Can't wait for the trade deadline...

[Karate Diop]

He's only 22... with a good system and a good.coach, he can be a better NBA player.

If he was a lottery pick, people would have given him more opportunities.

This FO & coaching staff has failed him and other young players we have/had. It's too concerned of the optics of giving away a lottery pick to Houston and tried to still.compete and turn Bridges to a 1st option, but alas failed.

Where did this dumb decision led us? Outside of the play in (still a lottery pick gifted) and without properly developing our young players. Heck, our rookies have the least playing time of all rooks drafted in the first round last year, and WE'RE NOT EVEN A CONTENDER!

We're in purgatory, guys! Can't wait for the trade deadline...

Eh slow rolling Thomas was the one major Vaughn move I agree with. There were / are a lot of bad habits that need to be broken / replaced... We've started to see some of the fruits of that labor this year, but there's still more work to do.

[76ciology]

Cam Thomas last 5 games:

26.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists

49% FG
44% 3PT
85% FT

2.8 3s on 43% shooting

[vincecarter4pres]

Cam Thomas last 5 games:

26.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists

49% FG
44% 3PT
85% FT

2.8 3s on 43% shooting

Nets record in those games… 0 and 3.

Not blaming the kid for the losses, but he also does not have winning impact either.

He has a focal point style, without focal point impact or skills. Undersized. Has trouble separating. Poor court vision overall. Often dribbles the air out of the ball.

We get, he can score, but on a good team(not even great/contender, just solid playoff level team), he wouldn’t score like this, because his minutes and role would be limited.

You’re not putting this guy on the floor 30+ minutes on a good team with another legit 3 level scorer, definitely not starting him.

He kills the flow of the offense when he’s out there too long, and if he were sharing the floor with another better offensive player, even a pass first point guard type, he’s going to make the entire offense look disjointed, even more so.

There is no one else on this roster to give the ball to, on a roster with a couple other real options, he’s a 20-28mpg 6xth man microwave, who gets put in and pulled situationally.

Others think he’s going to wildly open up his all around game, but imho that isn’t the way his basketball brain works, even if he truly tries to.

They should just try and help him improve on the style he has and be the best damn microwave Cam T he can be.

They should let him run wild the rest of the season, truthfully they have to. Then take bids on him on draft night for a pick, hopefully lottery. Replace his scoring by trading for someone on an expiring.

[vincecarter4pres]

Stay flat = Jordan Clarkson
Does not improve playmaking = Bradley Beal
Improve playmaking = Devin Booker

Also I get we’re talking ceiling, but this is laughable.

His ceiling is probably Monta Ellis, if he vastly improved his passing.

Jordan Clarkson is currently leaps and bounds better than him. Still more athletic, better first step, better passer, better off ball.

So is THJ.


Everyone keeps toting how he would be given so much opportunity and freedom on other teams and improve, yada yada yap yap.

And yes, JV butchered the way he handled him.

But everyone is actually putting blinders on to how barren this roster is of a lead scorer and why he’s actually getting so much more opportunity and focus here compared to most any other team in the league.

On a better team where defenses couldn’t key in on him, it’s my belief he actually would be, a much better player.

But that would come at the sacrifice of raw stats.

He’s not a 20ppg scorer on any roster that is actually good, or a lotto team with other legit prospects, and certainly not a 23-28ppg scorer.

He wouldn’t get the usage and freedom to even come close to that, he wrecks a teams offense, we just don’t have a single other option. Mikal is trash as an initiator, especially as a number one on a bad team.

Cam very likely can and probably will be a 17-20ppg flamethrower on a good team off the bench in a few years. That is his ceiling.

[76ciology]

I think Cam’s situation is comparable to that of Booker and Tatum. They are very good scorers and shot creators, but you won't win many games if you simply let them run your offense.

However, if you can build a more talented team around them, focusing on dribble drive, passing, and shooting, and then only give them the ball to attack mismatches in situations like crunch time, late shot clock scenarios, or stretches where they can light up the scoreboard, then they can play a significant role on offense for a winning team.

The issue with the Nets is that the team is primarily filled with naturally overachieving 3&D wings. They struggle to execute two-man games that create mismatches, and their offensive sets often lead to situations where the defense can easily switch from 1 to 5, holding them on defense and leading to many late shot clock one-on-one situations.

If you have a threatening 4 or 5, like Nurkic or Porzingis, the defense can't simply switch those two-man games, forcing them to either play drop defense (where Schroeder, Mikal, and Cam can score) or attack the defense in the post and then swing the ball to shoot or exploit closeouts when help defense arrives.

I'm not sure how good Cam can be, but he’s a great shot creator despite his high usage and opposing defense that's highly focused on him. Additionally, he continues to improve other aspects of his game like playmaking, deflections, and rebounding. It's too early to definitively say what he can or can't be. At the very least, he deserves to be surrounded by more than just role-playing journeyman point guards and wings who excel primarily in 3&D roles on winning teams. He also needs a serious coach, not just a placeholder coach for a rebuilding team.

[vincecarter4pres]

I think Cam’s situation is comparable to that of Booker and Tatum. They are very good scorers and shot creators, but you won't win many games if you simply let them run your offense.

However, if you can build a more talented team around them, focusing on dribble drive, passing, and shooting, and then only give them the ball to attack mismatches in situations like crunch time, late shot clock scenarios, or stretches where they can light up the scoreboard, then they can play a significant role on offense for a winning team.

The issue with the Nets is that the team is primarily filled with naturally overachieving 3&D wings. They struggle to execute two-man games that create mismatches, and their offensive sets often lead to situations where the defense can easily switch from 1 to 5, holding them on defense and leading to many late shot clock one-on-one situations.

If you have a threatening 4 or 5, like Nurkic or Porzingis, the defense can't simply switch those two-man games, forcing them to either play drop defense (where Schroeder, Mikal, and Cam can score) or attack the defense in the post and then swing the ball to shoot or exploit closeouts when help defense arrives.

I'm not sure how good Cam can be, but he’s a great shot creator despite his high usage and opposing defense that's highly focused on him. Additionally, he continues to improve other aspects of his game like playmaking, deflections, and rebounding. It's too early to definitively say what he can or can't be. At the very least, he deserves to be surrounded by more than just role-playing journeyman point guards and wings who excel primarily in 3&D roles on winning teams. He also needs a serious coach, not just a placeholder coach for a rebuilding team.

You’re immediately losing me when you start comparing him to Booker and Tatum, and downplaying the latter’s prowess.

Tatum is one of the flatout best players in the league.

Although to me Booker has always been wildly overrated by many, it’s still straight up disrespectful and ridiculous to compare him to Cam.

I read and agree with some of your other points, but to me you’re avoiding important questions, like why would you ever plan to build around Cam?

And where exactly have players like Nurkic or Porzingis gotten their teams as focal points or even second best players?

If everything goes picture perfect for Cam, he’s basically a 6’2, slightly more ball dominant Michael Redd.