Cameron Thomas established himself as an elite scorer last season at LSU, and the 27th overall pick wants to bring just that to the Brooklyn Nets as a rookie.
Thomas, who believes he is the best scorer in the draft this year, averaged 23 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists last season. He led all freshmen in the country in scoring and finished with 22 20-point games, the most in program history since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992.
He was linked to several teams during the pre-draft process and was thought to be a coveted prospect given his scoring ability. While the Nets are certainly stacked with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving, Thomas can fill a need off the bench, as he said on Monday.
I can come in off the bench and still provide scoring. You can never have too much scoring in the NBA nowadays. I feel like having me come off the bench, I can provide that energy for the team or scoring and play-making. I feel like I can contribute right away so I just want to go out there and give my best.
Nets head coach Steve Nash said on Monday that Thomas, and fellow first-round pick Day’Ron Sharpe, will have an opportunity to compete for minutes next season. It could be beneficial for the two, as they won’t be counted on to contribute big minutes so they can develop slowly.
Of course, Brooklyn entered draft night with just one first-round pick but eventually added another one after trading Landry Shamet. The trade enabled them to keep its core group intact while also adding a couple of young players in the process.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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