In the first quarter of Wednesday’s game against Indiana, Nets guard Cam Thomas re-injured the same left hamstring that he repeatedly strained last season, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
As Lewis writes, Thomas appeared to sustain the injury after a jump shot. He was able to leave the court on his own, though he did not return to the eventual win with what the team called left hamstring tightness.
Thomas injured his left hamstring three separate times during the 2024/25 season, Lewis notes, and was limited to just 25 games on the season. As a restricted free agent this past summer, the 24-year-old wound up signing his $6MM qualifying offer, making him eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2026.
Thomas will be checked out again on Thursday, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez.
“He’s doing good. We’ll reevaluate [Thursday],” Fernandez said. “But he was great in the locker room. We missed him. This team needs his aggressiveness.
“And the reality is, when you have the support from a player that is also out that always helps. He was very happy for the win. So hopefully we can have him back very soon. If not, we’ll do whatever it takes. His health is the No. 1 priority for us. And we’ll go from there, next man up if need be.”
He was such a great tank captain for nets this season, their tanking is now jeopardy.
Cam doesn’t care about playing this year. Probably will be in and out till last 10 gms of season. So he can play and show for a new contract next year. Looks like another Knox to me. Doesn’t care about playing ball. Just wants that check ……
lol huh?
Na I agree with everything until he doesn’t care about hooping. He definitely hears about playing basketball. It’s just that he’s advanced scorer Clarkston type player and that’s his role. He’s not going to get 30 million a year doing that role. But if he lands on a team that he can just come off the bench and score and just get buckets, he’ll be perfect. For example, if he was on the Knicks on a reasonable contract he would be great because he’d be at a comment score, put up some points and take pressure off the rest of the teammates. Where he won’t be a starter or get 30 or maybe even 25 million a year that he doesn’t play any defense and he’s got to learn how to play without the ball. I actually think he can do that. He’s shown a little bit of that. However, on a tanking team, who else is going to shoot the ball He gets to do whatever he wants
There have been plenty if players over the years. Who are only in this for the checks. Even talented guys who do only enough to get that next deal. His iwn teammates have spoken out about Cam. Knox gad talent to be a rotation guy. It’s why he is still signed today. Knicks didn’t do him right. But I suspect his attitude and commitment was the reason. He got his lottery money which is all he wanted. Just hanging around to get that pension.
Eddie Curry never cared about playing ball. Russell with the Mavs has only played to get a new deal. He doesn’t care about being one of best. Or getting better. Players who play for checks ruin the makeup of teams. It’s best to never sign them. Stay away from them …..I mean look at Zion …. You really think he cares about playing ball. They keep giving him money ……
AL,
Why are you arguing me down? I agree with your take except the fact he doesn’t care and is stealing money. He does care. He just Because he selfish with his shots doesn’t mean he hasn’t put in the work and cares about winning basketball games. It just means he has a low IQ. 2nd he has a role he can play. 6/7th man off the bench who can put buckets up. As someone else said Jordan pool, Jordan Clarkson, Vernon Maxwell, Ben Gordon. Bunch of other players who have done this.
Zion does care about playing ball. The problem is he finally at a stage were he is not the best player and mediocracy or your athletic ability is not going to get it done only. He has to take care of his body by not eating anything and working out more. It’s different level and many of these 5 star recruits have an easy in their private high schools and then with new nil getting paid and know that they’re going to get drafted. Guys like Jordan and other players. Vince Carter, Paul George many of these other guys went through the grind of college and had to work on multiple parts of their games. So yes IQ and stupidity I agree but these guys are trying to win games and play. I agree Zion Williams doesn’t have real people around him making a comment saying he’s motivated and got a new trainer to get in shape is crazy. So I agree with you on the take that he is not in the mindset of a true NBA superstar. However, I’m not going to say hey he’s just out there just for the money
The difference here of course being Cam can actually play, and worked his ass off to get to this level (drafted in the late 20s). He’s a sixth man on most teams ala Jordan Poole, Anfernee Simons, etc (with some Tyler Herro-like borderline All-Star upside).
Knox was a garbage player with no IQ, work ethic, or motor, gifted thousands of minutes because the Knicks needed to justify the lottery pick they flushed down the toilet.
Dude peaked as an 18-year old in college and you’re comparing him to someone with an actual NBA career.
Yes, there have been recurring stories and criticisms about Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas’s playstyle, specifically regarding his perceived unwillingness to pass the ball and focus solely on scoring. This narrative has existed since his college days at LSU and has been a consistent point of discussion during his NBA career.
Key Points of the Criticism:
“Ball Hog” Label: Thomas has faced the “ball hog” criticism, and statistics indicate he is less willing as a passer compared to other guards with similar ball possession time.
Low Assists: His assist numbers have been relatively low for a player who often has the ball in his hands. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 2.9 assists per game, and in the 2024-25 season it was 3.8 assists per game. After a 40-point game with zero assists, the discussion was particularly prominent on social media.
“Empty Stats” Argument: Some analysts and fans consider his high-scoring games as “empty stats,” questioning his overall impact on winning, particularly as his style of play can involve other Nets players standing around and watching.
Defensive Struggles: His perceived weaknesses in other areas, such as defense and rebounding, have amplified the criticism of his one-dimensional, scoring-focused playstyle.
Team Dynamics: Teammates, such as Nicolas Claxton, have been caught on camera yelling at Thomas to pass the ball. The issue has led to discussions about how to better integrate his scoring talent within a team structure.
Thomas’ days as a elite prospect ended (at least for the world outside of those who post here) when his measurables were compiled. For an NBA perimeter player, he’s short (length) and a subpar athlete. Those aren’t great things to add to poor court vision and a low BB IQ, even if one thinks the latter can be improved.
Even the individual scoring skills he does have are somewhat misfit for the modern game. He’s more of a great 1 on 1 scorer than great shooter (although he’s getting better at the 3 ball). He’s a ball hog, by skill set, as much as by choice.
Yes you are right. I don’t know who has him as an elite prospect. He pretty much is who he is now a 6th or 7th man off to bench score. If he had Jordan Clarkson role on the Knicks they be killing. He could just come in and focus on a bucket. It doesn’t help playing on a tanking team. And yes, then that’s tanked. They were better than what they were last year and the GM pulled the starters so they had a words record. He can shoot when he wants. I’m. Not saying he is a starter or Star but he has a role and can play until like 33. 13 years is a good career
Clarkson would have been a good comp for Thomas coming out of school. Skilled scorer, but pretty much a 2nd round talent, based mostly on physical makeup.
The big difference is Clarkson understood his “asterisk ridden” skill set, and worked on it throughout his career to become a high end instant offense guy off the bench. Developing some facilitation skills, and working on defense.
Do see Thomas doing that? I don’t. To the contrary, he’s still with the 2k’ers, thinking he’s a good shooting streak away from the HOF.
Cam Thomas has the ability to be better than Clarkston if he plays that role. He’s already better than what he was in their role. The problem is the nets are tinking so there’s no structure to the team or talent around him that you would really want shooting the ball. MPJ will look like a taller version of Thomas. In a structured offense that is trying to win games and we saw that at the beginning of the year last year until they yanked the team saying hey we’re tanking he played in actual pretty good role. Was able to move the ball come off screens and it wasn’t just shooting whenever you want. There really not trying to develop anyone the want to get a top 3 pick this draft and trade out all the other players
We’ll never know what he can be in any role, unless and until he plays the role with some purpose. BKN isn’t to blame for his attitude, as they actually put off tanking for most of his time there.
What are you talking about? He is playing his role with purpose. He’s on the court as the only scorer for the Brooklyn nets well him in MPJ. The rest of the team is either young guys who actually shouldn’t even be on the court flying more than 20 minutes or just fill in because the nets are trying to tank. If I was on that team I would just be trying to put up buckets as well. This team is not constructed to win them and that’s made it very clear they wanted to lose. He was playing a pretty good role last year when they were winning and then the owner or the GM pulled the plug. I literally watched it with my own eyes
One man’s ball hog is another man’s Jamal Crawford, Lou Williams, etc etc etc.
Cam has comparable skills & measurables to Norm Powell, who has been up and down in his career but was a borderline All-Star in the right setting last year, and is likewise excelling in Miami right now. The book is not totally written on Cam yet.
FWIW a number of Cam’s measurables are elite relative to other NBA players. For my 2K Roster work, I have the following badges w/ “Hall of Fame” tier on him.
Deadeye (5.3 Contested 3PA/36 + Mid-Range FGA/36)
Slippery Off-Ball (6.5 Off-Screen+Handoff poss/36)
Set Shot Specialist (10.2 Spotup+Roll+Screen+Hand poss/36)
Shifty Shooter (9.1 Pullup+Stepback FGA36)
If I told you those were Bradley Beal’s scores back w/ the Wizards, you’d probably believe me.
Bradley Beal (Wizards 2022)
3.0 Contested 3PA+Midrange FGA/36 (GOLD)
4.0 Screen+Hand poss/36 (GOLD)
6.9 Spotup+Roll+Screen+Hand poss/36 (SILVER)
6.1 Pullup/Stepback FGA/36 (GOLD)
It goes without saying the shell of Beal w/ the Suns and now Clippers is even further away from Cam. That’s how good of a scorer Cam is. Yes the playmaking sucks relative to other high Usage guards, but he also has the shot diet of a superstar on a team with no talent. Where he lands on a real NBA team is likely somewhere in the middle.
LOL. Sorry Real 2k, but those are not “measurables” as the term is used in evaluating prospects physically. In the NBA (or other on court league), Thomas and Powell are in different physical universes. Wouldn’t even be mentioned together, as they are 1-2 position groups apart.
My advice is that you should stick to 2k, if you’re as good at that as you claim. The game on the court is different, and beyond you.
The possession data are Synergy Playtypes that are 100% used by teams, writers, etc.
Contested shots and pull-ups etc (off dribble jumpers) are likewise just a deeper dive into his USAGE RATE, which is a stat used by everyone.
If Cam Thomas is Top 5 in the league in all of those frequencies (to a degree that a 30-PPG Shooting Guard wasn’t close), that is not something that can be hand waved away because you feel like it. It is quite literally an explanation/representation of what makes him such an extreme/polarizing player.
And sorry chief, I’ve been watching the NBA for 31 years now (since the 94 Knicks Playoff run). I simply use my video game work as an expression of that fandom. (Which, by the way, my basketball-releated income is higher than yours).
Perhaps I was unclear. Thomas ceased to be considered an elite prospect in the year leading up to his draft, due to physical measurables, i.e., those that were used to measure length and athleticism. As for the stats you’ve set forth, I don’t either like or dislike them, and have no need to wave them away. I only note that they don’t measure length and athleticism, and are thus not relevant to Thomas’s profile in that regard.
Tyler Herro and Desmond Bane don’t have great measurables (Average athletes at best, with negative wingspans). They’re still Stars / Starters / Sixth Men because their offensive skill makes up for it.
Those players typically hit a wall hard (as we’re seeing with Jordan Clarkson), but while they’re in their 20s they’re all fine.
The possession data are Synergy Playtypes that are 100% used by teams, writers, etc.
Contested shots and pull-ups etc (off dribble jumpers) are likewise just a deeper dive into his USAGE RATE, which is a stat used by everyone.
If Cam Thomas is Top 5 in the league in all of those frequencies (to a degree that a 30-PPG Shooting Guard wasn’t close), that is not something that can be hand waved away because you feel like it. It is quite literally an explanation/representation of what makes him such an extreme/polarizing player.