Cam Thomas has always gotten his buckets in bunches…a lot of buckets in bunches.
He led the entire Hampton Roads area in scoring as a freshman at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, VA. He left Oak Hill Academy as the program’s all-time leading scorer despite having only played there for his junior and senior seasons. He then led all NCAA DI freshmen in scoring during his sole season at LSU. It didn’t matter who Cam played with or against. His responsibility was always the same: score, score and score some more.
That all changed when he fell into the Brooklyn Nets’ lap at pick No. 27 in the 2021 NBA Draft. Not only would he be joining an organization with championship-or-bust expectations, but he was also joining a roster that wasn’t hurting for scoring. Do the names Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden ring a bell?
On one hand, Cam had first-class access to work with and learn from three of the best offensive players in hoops history. On the other, he had to wait his turn and deal with inconsistent playing time, something he’d never experienced at that point in his young career. Even then, Cam never lost even the smallest bit of confidence. It was tested, but that confidence is what got him here. And there’s a tad bit of “crazy” mixed in there, too. All the greats have it. But we know how the phrase goes: It’s only crazy until you do it.
In the sparing minutes he was given, Cam showed flashes of his scoring brilliance. Yet, on any given night, he could play anywhere from four minutes to 17 minutes or even have a DNP. It was like this for most of his first two years in the League.
And then, in February 2023…he erupted. Amidst the Nets moving on from their big three of KD, Kyrie and Harden and trying to figure out what direction they’d move in, Cam got a few more windows of opportunity. And he took full advantage. With Harden long gone, Kyrie just traded to Dallas and KD in trade rumors, Cam was unleashed. It all came together as he made history, becoming the youngest player to score 40-plus points in three straight games. And these 40-pieces were efficient, the works of a true professional scorer.
This past ’23-24 season, it started to slowly but surely all come together. Cam started in 51 of the 66 games he played in, averaging 22.5 points in about 31 minutes per game, a 12-point increase and 15-minute increase from the season prior.
And now we’re here. The Nets just completed a massive trade, and there are many questions about which direction the team is headed. There’s also an entirely new coaching staff, including Jordi Fernandez at the helm. But even with all the questions, there’s one thing that is for certain. The Nets have a more than capable number one scoring option in Cam Thomas.
It’s a warm Friday afternoon in July at SLAM HQ in New York, and the 6-3, 22-year-old combo guard who sits across from us is on the brink of what will be, one way or another, a defining season in his career. He sat down to discuss his offseason, proving doubters wrong, his love for Kobe Bryant and more.
SLAM: How’s the offseason been going?
Cam Thomas: It’s been good. Just laying low, resetting, getting ready for next season. It’s been real good.
SLAM: Have you developed some sort of routine, or do you approach each offseason differently?
CT: I usually try to go with a clean slate because you never know. Stuff changes from year to year, like coaches, schemes, etc. This summer was probably the longest I took off—about two or three weeks. Then I got right back to it.
SLAM: You’re mostly known for your ability to score at the highest level, and you’ve improved as a scorer each year since entering the League. Are there any specific things you’re focused on improving for next season?
CT: Nah, not really. I just want to keep working on everything. Last summer, I tried to put more emphasis on catch-and-shoot shooting, and I think I was way up in the League percentage-wise on catch-and-shoot [this past season]. So, just continue to work on that and fine-tuning the skills I had coming into the League, like my off-the-dribble stuff and finishing around the basket, [while] still improving on catch-and-shoot, trying to have the best percentage in the League.
SLAM: The Nets were part of one of the biggest moves this offseason when Mikal Bridges went across the bridge to the Knicks. This positions you for the biggest role of your career thus far. How have you begun to approach and prepare for this increased role, not only physically but mentally?
CT: Just knowing that and embracing it. Attacking it head-on. I’ve kind of been having those roles [as the leader of the team] ever since I was in high school and college. So, I’m not really worried about it. I’m just excited to get it going and to try to do it in the League. I’m not really worried about it at all; I’m just ready.
SLAM: You’re on a short list of the most talented young guards in the NBA. What do you think you need to do to get to that next level?
CT: Just doing everything—doing it consistently. I had the biggest jump in points from my second year to my third year. I was at 22.5 [points per game], so I think trying to get into that 25 ppg range, upping the playmaking and just trying to keep improving my all-around game. And hopefully, it leads to wins.
SLAM: Are you inspired by the doubters, or would you say you’re completely self-motivated?
CT: It’s a little bit of both…I don’t really worry about the doubters because I’ve always had them. Nobody really believed in my talent and scoring ability—even at Oak Hill, and even in college, and even in the League. So, I’m used to it. Now, it’s really just self-motivation. Even down to sliding in the draft all the way down to pick 27. I still carry that chip on my shoulder. And even with the Nets, not playing consistently my first two years. I have that in my back pocket so I can keep growing and keep improving…to show why you should have played me in my first two years.
I’m not focused on trying to prove myself anymore. Everybody knows I’m one of the top young scorers—top young guards—in the League now. So, it’s really just trying to maximize my ability, see where I can take it and become the best player I can be, this year, and for years to come.
SLAM: There’s clearly a lofty confidence you must have to be an elite scorer in the League, let alone as an undersized guard. What do you think is the main source of that mentality?
CT: I’d probably say growing up in [the Hampton Roads area]. It’s physical there. Everybody’s fighting for the same goal, sports-wise. I feel that helped me in a way. And really…Kobe Bryant. Just reading his mentality and idolizing him, that’s a part of it, too. That’s really how I shaped my mentality: Kobe and my hometown. At the same time, that’s just in me.
SLAM: Do you have any specific individual or team goals for next season? Are you concerned with All-Star, All-NBA and those types of individual accolades?
CT: Individually, I just try to stay in the moment. Whatever happens, happens. If I get it, I get it. If I don’t, I don’t. I just want to keep improving. As far as the team, the goal is to be better every day and try to win as many games as we can. Honestly, we don’t know what our team could look like going into next season. But whatever it looks like, we just want to be the best team we can be and try to put a good product on the floor for Brooklyn.
SLAM: What should Nets fans and Cam Thomas fans expect next season?
CT: Excitement. Entertainment. [I’m] hoping everything leads to wins at the end of the day. We’ll see. It’s different in the League. But I’m prepared, not worried at all. I’ve done it in the League, but I want to take it to another level, for sure.
Portraits by Marcus Stevens. Action photos via Getty Images.
