Assessing Cam Thomas

[Shark]

We've kind of just thrown him into the fray expecting him to be the same ISO scorer he was in college. IMO that was probably the worst thing that could have happened in his development. Considering we were going into the season expecting to have 3 ISO scorers in KD, Kylie, and Harden, I thought it was essential that we work on his off ball game so that he'd be able to complement them better. And if you wanted him to be the ISO player that he is you could have played him with most of the bench + one of the big 3.

As it stands he really hasn't worked out in an off ball role because he's been so bad from deep. Not that there's much of a system for him to work in. Having him stand in a corner waiting to shot is just horrible.

[Claud]

He's been off ever since he injured his back against Jaylen Brown/Celtics. Has been playing visibly gingerly, not really pushing his back.

He started the season strong, had a couple game winners + big games when he was given consistent minutes due to injuries + no Kyrie, plus has shown he belongs in the NBA(he's just 20 years old). Has an advanced offensive repertoire for his age, although I agree he needs to improve his 3 ball % going forward.

I think more than likely he becomes a microwave scorer off the bench or if he really applies himself/works hard to improve defense/playmaking, he can become borderline allstar level player(Beal type player is his absolute ceiling).

Considering he was the 27th pick, I think overall solid season although there are many areas to clean up in his game.

Hopefully he can get healthy come playoffs time because you always need clutch players in those situations.

[ecuhus1981]

<bump>

Looking back on his rookie season, I can admit that Cam Thomas was slightly better than I expected. I still stand by Willie Green as his closest comparison, and that's more successful career than 80% of NBA players.

Cam showed a real flair for the big moment, and his FT rate translated fully, a huge pendulum swing in his favor. He's a very poor defender, and his court vision is limited to system passes and dump offs. But it was a relief to know that he was willing to share, unlike he showed in HS and at LSU.

So, moving forward from here, what do you think? Is he another Marshon Brooks or Antoine Wright? Or can he make the rare leap from college gunner to NBA lead guard prospect, like Herro and Poole?

[MrDollarBills]

Based on what I saw in summer league it doesn't look like he's improved at all. Yes, he can score but not very efficiently, which limits his upside.

If that 3 point shot doesn't improve I'm not sure about Cam long term.

[gigantes]

I don't believe I saw him enough to have a firm personal opinion, but having read some scouting on him, I'm pretty lukewarm on his prospects. My biggest issues are probably: 1) he's not a good enough passer to be a combo guard, and certainly isn't a PG, but 2) as a ~6'3" SG with mediocre athleticism, he's immediately at a strong disadvantage in that role, 3) terrible defensive instincts, 4) doesn't really do anything besides look to score, and with a weak 3pt shot, that makes him super one-dimensional, even if he's undeniably gifted as a creative scorer.

Cam seems like he's one of those guys who's done a pretty heroic job working around his disadvantages, but it doesn't necessarily leave much upside, and that's usually a pretty ominous sign for a young player. He's like an anti-3&D player without height and athleticism, yikes.

[Netaman]

Based on what I saw in summer league it doesn't look like he's improved at all. Yes, he can score but not very efficiently, which limits his upside.

If that 3 point shot doesn't improve I'm not sure about Cam long term.

same. best case is probably ironically a smaller version of ty warren but that's a pretty low ceiling considering it's at best a coin flip the jump shot improves enough to get there. he's a less athletic version of maxey, maybe he takes a similar leap in year 2, but im not betting on the shot or defense improving enough.

i'd probably trade him for a FRP while we can to have more ammo to add something else.

[vincecarter4pres]

Based on what I saw in summer league it doesn't look like he's improved at all. Yes, he can score but not very efficiently, which limits his upside.

If that 3 point shot doesn't improve I'm not sure about Cam long term.

same. best case is probably ironically a smaller version of ty warren but that's a pretty low ceiling considering it's at best a coin flip the jump shot improves enough to get there. he's a less athletic version of maxey, maybe he takes a similar leap in year 2, but im not betting on the shot or defense improving enough.

i'd probably trade him for a FRP while we can to have more ammo to add something else.

He's nothing like Maxey. Maxey is a straight up stud with enormous upside and a pretty substantial floor if he simply levels out as is, or even takes a small step back.

Highly doubt anyone values him for a future 1st, even with tight protections from a playoff caliber team.

I think you can combine him with Harris or Curry for a solid veteran upgrade.

[Netaman]

Based on what I saw in summer league it doesn't look like he's improved at all. Yes, he can score but not very efficiently, which limits his upside.

If that 3 point shot doesn't improve I'm not sure about Cam long term.

same. best case is probably ironically a smaller version of ty warren but that's a pretty low ceiling considering it's at best a coin flip the jump shot improves enough to get there. he's a less athletic version of maxey, maybe he takes a similar leap in year 2, but im not betting on the shot or defense improving enough.

i'd probably trade him for a FRP while we can to have more ammo to add something else.

He's nothing like Maxey. Maxey is a straight up stud with enormous upside and a pretty substantial floor if he simply levels out as is, or even takes a small step back.

Highly doubt anyone values him for a future 1st, even with tight protections from a playoff caliber team.

I think you can combine him with Harris or Curry for a solid veteran upgrade.

i wasn't comparing his game to maxey as much as the leap maxey took shooting the ball in year 2. i dont see that coming for cam.

and i'd agree that it's likely he ends up combined with harris for an upgrade (someone like bogs maybe) if harris doesn't come back in his top form. he loses a lot of value if he's not 40%+. i think they will give harris time to work his way back though because they like him and would prefer not to trade him.

i wouldn't trade curry personally because i think he's better than harris even if he comes back 100% and i think whether or not he comes back 100% is not guaranteed.

[76ciology]

Love Cam Thomas.

He’s actually more like a Devin Booker or Derozan type player. You need a PG who can run the two man game at a high volume then you dump him the ball as a go to scorer.

Been high on cam thomas, since the draft. I had him 3rd (if im not mistaken) on my draft board back then

[MrDollarBills]

Love Cam Thomas.

He’s actually more like a Devin Booker or Derozan type player. You need a PG who can run the two man game at a high volume then you dump him the ball as a go to scorer.

Been high on cam thomas, since the draft. I had him 3rd (if im not mistaken) on my draft board back then

Cam has something that you can't teach, which is absolute fearlessness with the ball. When he's on, he's lethal especially in the mid range. But he has got to get his 3 point efficiency up to near the league average this season.

[therealbig3]

People talking about having too much of a logjam at the 2 guard position, with Harris/Curry/Mills/Cam...I think Cam is easily the worst player out of that group, and would be the guy to move on from if it comes to that. We're a win now team, you go with the proven veterans over an unknown, who honestly is not that unknown. I don't think he's going to amount to much. A spark plug scorer for the right team maybe, but that's basically it.

Is there much difference between him and Marshon Brooks, honestly? Marshon had the same "fearlessness", he was also touted as a big time ISO scorer coming into the league...but also played bad defense and had tunnel vision when he had the basketball. Weak 3pt shot. Low overall BBIQ. And his ISO scoring ability was impressive and better than his peers early on, but then eventually within the same year everyone caught up and NBA defenses figured him out.

[ecuhus1981]

I don't believe I saw him enough to have a firm personal opinion, but having read some scouting on him, I'm pretty lukewarm on his prospects. My biggest issues are probably: 1) he's not a good enough passer to be a combo guard, and certainly isn't a PG, but 2) as a ~6'3" SG with mediocre athleticism, he's immediately at a strong disadvantage in that role, 3) terrible defensive instincts, 4) doesn't really do anything besides look to score, and with a weak 3pt shot, that makes him super one-dimensional, even if he's undeniably gifted as a creative scorer.

Cam seems like he's one of those guys who's done a pretty heroic job working around his disadvantages, but it doesn't necessarily leave much upside, and that's usually a pretty ominous sign for a young player. He's like an anti-3&D player without height and athleticism, yikes.

This assessment was such a bullseye, it made me laugh and cringe.

[ecuhus1981]

The thing that gives me hope about Cam is that, from HS to College to his rookie NBA season to this year's Summer league, his playmaking is charting in the right direction.

When I think about how his like Jordan Poole beat the odds and leapfrogged peers, I see two factors: assists and shot quality increase exponentially. Those are actually two sides of the same coin for ball dominant guards IMO. If you're going to have the rock in your hands that long, defenses are going to prey on your shooting tendencies unless you force them to respect your court vision.

Thomas was the unquestioned lead guard in SL, with a clear directive to provide scoring opportunities for his teammates. He averaged like 4.5apg in starter's minutes, practically triple what he averaged at LSU in similar minutes. Now, no one going to mistake him for a PG, but if he can pair solid passing chops with his scoring prowess, he might really be... something.

Of course, his 3pt shot and overall defense need a major overhaul, if he is going to be anything more than an entertaining 11th man on a winning team.

[Rastas]

Let's put it this way......
In a year from now who is a possibility of not being a Nets player
Kyrie - 50%+ gone
Curry - 50%+ gone
Harris - 40% traded (19m +)
Durant - who knows ?
Mills - final year at age 35

Sure whilst all the above are readily available and performing Cam may look like a luxury not needed but 12 months from now things may very well look a lot different.

Also I think Cam fits very well with Ben , even if only to help increase his trade stock.

[ecuhus1981]

Continuity means very little with deep bench players.