With trade rumors swirling around the Nets potentially acquiring All-Star Guard Damian
Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers, as well as some rumblings around All-Star Guard Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks, it makes one ask, should the Nets even bother?"
As fans have learned from both the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade that took place in 2013 and the James Harden trade that took place in 2021, the amount of draft capital and role players it takes to acquire these All-Star level players is absurdly high, so much so that it defeats the purpose of even trading for these stars.
If the Nets were to trade for another star caliber player, it would deplete the Nets of their assets, making it nearly impossible to build around the players that remain.
The best way for any franchise to acquire a star is to draft and develop them, and the Nets currently have a player with such potential in Cam Thomas.
While Thomas has had several critics due to his offensive-minded play style, one cannot deny the talent and potential this young man has.
In his rookie season, Thomas averaged a modest 8.5 points on 43% FG, however he showed flashes of greatness, leading the Nets in a 28 comeback win against the New York Knicks, scoring 16 points in the 4th quarter and hitting a step back 3 to seal the game.
Despite being played sporadically throughout the 2022-23 season, Thomas, in his sophomore campaign, averaged 10.6 points on 44/38/87 shooting splits. Per 36 minutes, he averaged 22.9 points per game.
In the four games Cam Thomas started this season, he averaged 39.0 points, 4.3
rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 46/50/94 shooting splits. In the 15 games where Cam Thomas played at least 25 or more minutes, he averaged 26.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 48/50/90 splits.
Thomas became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+ points in three straight
games, the youngest since NBA legend Allen Iverson.
He became the second youngest player in NBA history to score 40+ in back-to-back games, with the only player younger than him to
accomplish this feat being the great LeBron James.
via (Yes Network)
Several of Thomas critics argue that he is one-dimensional. However, the skill that he is
elite at is scoring, the most important skill a basketball player can have.
Scoring is what makes you a star in the NBA, and Cam Thomas is a generational scoring talent.
While it is true Thomas needs to improve on his defense and passing in order to become a truly elite player, he is only 21 years old and has plenty of potential to improve on his weaknesses.
Thomas has an incredible work ethic that was instilled in him at a young age by his mother, Leslie Thomas. Coming from a military background, Leslie saw her son's desire to play basketball and taught him how to shoot.
Leslie created a rule for Cam called the "10 in a row" rule, which meant that Cam had to do something perfectly 10 times in a row before attempting it in a game. At the age of 7, Thomas won a free throw contest by hitting 33 free throws in a row (Dellenger, 2021)
Since the Nets are no longer in a rush to contend with the departure of Durant and Irving,
it would be in the best interest of the organization to allow Thomas to develop for a season in order to see what he can truly become.
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