Nets guard Cam Thomas issues 1-word statement on lack of fourth-quarter minutes

To say Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn has received a substantial amount of criticism this season for his questionable decision-making skills would be putting things lightly.

From the highly controversial timeout debacle at the end of their latest outing against the Portland Trail Blazers to his ever-changing closing lineups, the sixth-year headman (second straight in Brooklyn) has caught quite a bit of flack from fans and pundits alike for his rather lackluster performance in 2023-24 and, recently, some players have begun to chime in on the matter as well.

During a shootaround interview ahead of Brooklyn's Thursday night bout against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cam Thomas was asked by NetsDaily's Lucas Kaplan about his feelings on how he's been used during fourth quarters throughout the season.

Asked, in specific, if he can get an early sense during a game of whether he'll be used as a closing option for the Nets or if it feels more randomized, the third-year pro replied with a one-word, monotone answer: "Random."

Nets guard Cam Thomas says fourth quarter usage feels "random"

Despite being one of the team's more productive offensive options aside outside of Mikal Bridges, Thomas' usage of late, both in the fourth period and during games as a whole, has proven to be extremely sporadic.

Dating back to December 26, the combo guard has seen 22 or fewer minutes on six separate occasions, equating to nearly half of the games played over this span.

On top of this, throughout this period, the 22-year-old ranks seventh on the Nets in average playing time during the fourth quarter (8.1) despite producing the second-most total points (40).

Questions about Thomas' late-game usage have been highlighted on several occasions by us at NBN and, now, it's gotten to the point where the young stud has spoken out on the situation as well.