MINNEAPOLIS — Cam Thomas is finally making his Nets return.
But he’s coming back to a different Nets team. And he’s going to have to change with it.
After nearly eight weeks out with a hamstring strain, Thomas is back practicing and is slated to play Saturday at the Timberwolves.
It will be the 24-year-old guard’s first appearance since getting hurt on Nov. 5 at Indiana.
“He’s expected to play,” said Nets coach Jordi Fernandez.
“No pressure … He’s done a good job getting himself back into shape and healthy. And we just want to see his superpowers out there. So, no pressure for him to have to do too much: Just be yourself and help the team compete and go get a win.”
That would be new. The Nets haven’t won a game with Thomas on the floor yet this season.
Brooklyn had been 0-7 going into that Pacers tilt, last in the league in both Net Rating (minus-15) and Defensive Rating (128.5), the latter on pace for the worst in history.
But since Thomas’ injury in the opening minutes of that tilt, they’re 9-12 with the sixth-best Defensive Rating (111.7) and are middle-of-the-pack in Net Rating (minus-0.4).
“I just want to get back on the court and play,” said Thomas. “It’s obviously good seeing them playing well. I just want to get back on the court and play.”
A long-armed swarming defense and egalitarian quick-passing offense hunting open 3-pointers has been the order of the day, and it’s worked.
And Thomas — who has thrived on iso ball and feasted in the midrange — will adjust to it.
“Yeah, last year before he got hurt, we still played like (that), not just shooting 3s but finding the open shot; and he was great at finding those shots. I just want him to balance his scoring ability with his playmaking ability,” said Fernandez. “That means that he’s creating not just points for himself, but points for others. And if he does that, it’s what the team needs from him.
“I’ve seen it before he got hurt … Last year the game at Chicago and at Cleveland, he had outstanding games where he scored at a high level but also assisted at a high level. So, that’s what I want from CT: To impact the game at every single level. I want him to be solid defensively, a good defender, a great playmaker, and a great efficient scorer. He’s more than capable to do all those three things. If he doesn’t, then I’m going to have to sit down with him and try to help them get there.”
In his final appearance last season before suffering a third and final hamstring injury, Thomas had 24 points in Chicago but handed out a career-high 10 assists. He’s capable of using his gravity to draw double teams. But can he swing the ball quickly? Can he defend?
That’s what the Nets — and other scouts across the league — are going to find out.
“Every team adjusts when a certain player goes out. Every team that I saw adjusts to who’s out there playing. We’ll figure it out. Just go out there and play ball. It’s not rocket science,” said Thomas. “We just go out there, figure out who’s out there together and figure out how to play amongst each other.
“Obviously, it’s been a while since we all played with each other in a real game. Obviously, it’s going to be a learning curve for a few games, but we’ll figure it out quick. We’re pros; we’ll figure it out. So, just going to make it back on the court and play, figure it out and just try to keep stacking wins.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
