Cam Thomas had a lot to say on Monday after the Brooklyn Nets beat Cleveland on Monday. Two days after he scored 46 points for the Long Island Nets, the rookie played 15 minutes for Brooklyn and finished with 11 points (4-of-7 from the field), three rebounds and one block.
The No. 27 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is off to a good start in his professional career. Seeing Thomas average 40.5 points in two games with Long Island was enough for Steve Nash to put him in the game for some quality minutes against the Cavaliers. He boosted the Nets’ offense, which is a good sign early on in the year.
Maybe it was due to the fact that he’s receiving a lot of attention, but Thomas hurled a couple of friendly jabs at Kevin Durant after Monday’s win. All it took was for him to score in double digits to go after KD, who’s the league’s leading scorer.
It’s all in good fun. The camaraderie on this roster is a pleasant sight to see. Thomas can take all of the shots that he wants to at Durant … as long as he’s knocking down actual shots on the court.
"Me and KD just be trash talking...I say 'I think I'm a better scorer than him at my age than he was' and he doesn't believe that. Then he never wants to play me 1 on 1. Cause we played 1 on 1 in shoot around 1 time...I beat him. Don't tell him that. I beat him."
— DaveEarly (@DavidEarly) November 23, 2021
-Cam Thomas pic.twitter.com/46kzT3Vim4
Cam Thomas and Durant go back and forth after the Brooklyn Nets’ win.
Durant rebutted these claims when he opened up his press conference by saying that Thomas lied about beating him in shootaround, and that he actually beat the 20-year-old. He went on to say the five shots that Thomas did make was because KD turned his back and said “go ahead.”
How are we supposed to know who actually won the 1-on-1 matchup? It’s hard to see anyone beating Durant, much less a player who’s in his first season in the league. But if Thomas did beat KD, at the very least, that’s a good sign for the Nets.
Kevin Durant heard what Cam Thomas said earlier about beating him in their 1-on-1 matchups at shootaround and didn't hold back 😂
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) November 23, 2021
*looks at stat sheet* "Little 4-for-7, you know he feeling himself when he come in...he gonna come in here and fabricate" pic.twitter.com/d6wLJKl8Sy
Thomas got perhaps a bit too bold when he said that he’s a better scorer than KD was at the age of 20. Durant played his first regular-season game at the age of 19 and finished with 18 points. KD ended his rookie campaign by shooting 43% from the field and 28.8% from the 3-point line for an average of 20.3 points per game in his 80 starts. He also won Rookie of the Year.
OK … so Thomas was off-base about that. Who knows by what margin his numbers will improve as the year goes on, though. Brooklyn still has 64 games left to play in the regular season and Thomas has plenty of time to boost his numbers for the year as he works for more playing time … but Durant still has the upper hand in this fight.
If Thomas’ confidence is high enough for him to say that he’s a better scorer than KD was as a rookie, that’s all that matters. Keep scoring, and keep roasting Durant. We love the entertainment.
Russell Westbrook’s performance with Lakers proves why Kevin Durant left Thunder
Kevin Durant is in the MVP conversation based off his start to the season with the Brooklyn Nets, but former teammate Russell Westbrook has struggled.