At the beginning of the offseason, the Brooklyn Nets shockingly traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks. The Nets were already looking like a rebuilding team following their trades of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. Additionally, Brooklyn has not won a playoff game since 2021 and completely missed the postseason last year. By trading Bridges, it essentially confirms that they are rebuilding. Now, with Bridges out of the picture, other members of the Nets must step up and take on a larger role. Luckily for Nets fans, 22-year-old Cam Thomas is prepared to do exactly that.
In a recent interview with SLAM, Thomas spoke about assuming a larger role with Bridges gone. Thomas said he is “just ready” to take on a bigger role both on and off the court.
“Just knowing that and embracing it. Attacking it head-on. I’ve kind of been having those roles [as the leader of the team] ever since I was in high school and college. So, I’m not really worried about it. I’m just excited to get it going and to try to do it in the League. I’m not really worried about it at all; I’m just ready.”
Thomas has spent the first three years of his NBA career with the Nets and has improved each season. In the 2023-24 campaign, Thomas enjoyed a career year. Playing in 66 games, including 51 starts, Thomas averaged 22.5 points on 44.2% shooting the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc. Additionally, he averaged 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Thomas also finished seventh in the Most Improved Player award voting.
Brooklyn Nets Wing “Ready” For Larger Role
Cam Thomas Does Not Believe the Nets Are Rebuilding
Despite public belief, Thomas says the Nets are not in a rebuilding phase. In an interview with HoopsHype, the Japanese native says that he and the team will not “treat this as a rebuild.”
“We’re not going to treat this as a rebuild as people say we’re doing. We’re going to go out there and compete and try to win every game. If we lose, we lose. We’re not going to throw games. We’re going to compete hard. It’s going to be entertaining and exciting with good, young Nets basketball. I can’t wait to see it.”
Regardless of whether they are rebuilding or not, it is clear the Nets are a long way away from being a title contender. The Nets do, however, have an intriguing young core to build around. In addition to Thomas, the Nets have Nicolas Claxton and Cameron Johnson on the roster. Furthermore, if Ben Simmons can come back healthy and at least slightly resemble the player he was with the Philadelphia 76ers, he will become a big part of the Nets’ future.
The Last Word on Cam Thomas
Thomas is an intriguing player who now has more room to continue his development. After averaging over 20 points per game last season, it will be exciting to see what is next in store for him. The Nets are unlikely to be a playoff team next year. However, that does not mean they, now led by Thomas, will not be worth watching
