Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas has a clear role for Brooklyn heading into the 2023-24 season: score the basketball. While many Nets fans have been clamoring for Thomas to get more playing time ever since Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were traded last season, Thomas is still projected to be a scorer off the bench.
The Nets fanbase seems to be split on what Thomas’ role should be for this roster. The betting markets believe that Brooklyn will most likely either be a team who misses the playoffs altogether or a team who will have to go through the play-in tournament to earn the chance.
What that means is that Thomas’ role could vary depending on what the Nets are trying to achieve this year. Like every team in the NBA, Brooklyn wants to win as many games as possible.
With players like Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Ben Simmons on the team, it may be best for Thomas to take a backseat to those guys. While Thomas is a talented scorer, if he is going to carve out more playing time, he will have to make noticeable improvements on the defensive end.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said as much when asked what he is looking for from Thomas, as written by Erik Slater of ClutchPoints:
“For me, I was looking at the defensive end of the floor. Was he in the right position? Were the boxouts the way they were supposed to be? Were the matchups the way they were supposed to be? Was he detailed in his approach? Those things were really good.”
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