NEW YORK — Cam Thomas leads the Brooklyn Nets in points per game by a large margin as the 22 year-old as seemingly played out of his mind to start this season. However, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn wanted to point out that Thomas’ scoring ability is just one of his talents.
“He’s more than a scorer,” Vaughn said after Saturday’s 129-101 win over the Orlando Magic in which Thomas scored 20 points on 7-of-23 shooting from the field, but also dished out five assists. Thomas is just seventh on the team in assists per game (2.3), but even if that pace continued, he would still notch a career-high in that category. It’s a testament to how much Thomas has improved in setting up his teammates.
“As a young player, you ask him (Thomas) a question about the scouting report, the plan, he’s locked in,” Vaughn continued. “He’s taken really a lot of steps in growth. He can play-make. He can make plays for others, and he’s such a weapon because he can score the basketball (such) that he’ll be able to draw double teams.”
With players like Ben Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie on the roster, Thomas’ primary task is to score the basketball given that the team has to find a way to keep its offense rolling until it is able to figure out how to be better on the defensive end of the floor. Thomas has done a great job of shouldering that responsibility and flourishing within that role at the same time.
More to the point, Thomas’ five assists in Saturday’s win over the Magic was the most assists he’s had in a game this season. Aside from that, Thomas has also had three other games in which he’s dished out at least three assists and that will be critical towards his ability to hurt defenses in more than just scoring the ball.
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