What took the Nets so long to give Cam Thomas more NBA minutes?

The Brooklyn Nets have a shooting guard that would like their attention. Cam Thomas impressed in the NBA Summer League, and he’s at it again with both Long Island and Brooklyn. Last week he was fresh off a 46-point performance for the the Nets’ G League affiliate and took the floor for Brooklyn two nights later to prove that he deserves more minutes at the next level.

For a team that lacks depth, Thomas should be an option that the Nets turn to more often. We’re just wondering what took them so long.

It’s hard to overlook Thomas’ performance last Saturday. He shot 17-of-32 from the field and finished with seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in 39 minutes. It was only his second time playing in a game for Long Island, and he’s averaging an insane 40.5 points for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate.

With both Joe Harris (ankle) and Bruce Brown (hamstring) currently out with injuries, Thomas has the opportunity to prove to Steve Nash that he needs to be taking the court more often with the second unit. And that’s exactly what he did on Monday against Cleveland. He shot 4-of-7 from the field and finished with 11 points in 15 minutes.

Moving forward, will Nash make it a point to give Thomas more minutes? Hopefully, because he deserves it.

The Brooklyn Nets need to play Cam Thomas more.

He also played against the Celtics last Wednesday and put up 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting, though he did get to the free throw line three times and went 5-of-6. That one was another win for the Nets. Talk about a spark! We’ll take it.

Prior to Monday’s 117-112 win over the Cavaliers, Thomas’ career-high was four points. It’s as clear as day: the more minutes he logs, the more that he’s going to improve. There’s an obvious gap between the level of play in the G League and the NBA, but Thomas’ game has translated seamlessly. Just like Nash said, his future is bright.

And a bonus? He can play defense too.

The Nets have struggled offensively at times, and who knows, maybe he’ll continue to be a spark as he’s given more minutes off the bench. The Nets are going to need it if Patty Mills and LaMarcus Aldridge continue to start. Thomas was an elite scorer in college at LSU and has shown enough thus far that he can provide a semblance of that aggression in the NBA.

And how lucky is he to get to spend his first season in the league playing under the leadership of veterans like Kevin Durant and James Harden? That’ll go a long way, too. Keep these guys in his ear at all times.

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