Casual fans may not know Cam Thomas’ name yet, but he has quietly become one of the best pure scorers in the league.
The 22-year-old guard has already scored 40+ points twice this season, and his 21.0 points per game are made even more impressive by the fact that he’s logging just 28.8 minutes per night. He has alternated between the Nets’ starting and bench units as head coach Jacque Vaughn has struggled to find lineups that work. What has been consistent is that when Thomas is in the game, he takes elevated shots.
Here’s what you need to know about the Brooklyn Microwave Scorer.
Who is Cam Thomas?
Thomas is a 22-year-old shooting guard born in Yokosuka, Japan; His mother was in the military and stationed there when she gave birth to him. He played high school basketball in Virginia and transferred as a junior to the prestigious Oak Hill Academy, where he played alongside Cole Anthony and Kofi Cockburn.
Thomas was one of the top college recruits and finished like Oak Hill’s. top scorer of all time ahead of players like Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony.
Thomas went on to play one season at LSU. He declared for the 2021 NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Nets with the 27th pick.
Cam Thomas College Statistics
Thomas was a scorer both at the college level and in the NBA. He averaged 23.0 points per game for a good LSU team, where he was named to the All-SEC first team.
| PTS | REB | AST | GF% | 3PT% | FOOT% | |
| cam thomas | 23.0 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 40.6 | 32.5 | 88.2 |
Teams knew Thomas was a scorer, but there were concerns about his shot selection and how well-rounded a player he could be, leading him to fall to the end of the first round.
Cam Thomas scouting report
The first thing to discuss with Thomas is his incredible scoring production. He had a 45-point explosion against the Bucks in his seventh game of the 2023-24 season. The Nets don’t have much shot creation on their roster, so Thomas gets a chance to cook with the ball.
Thomas is a drop-back player and makes many of his attempts from mid-range. He’s pretty precise in those looks, hitting 44.3 percent in the year. You can stop at a moment and get up to get to that shot whenever you want, which is often. His weapon of choice is attacking closeouts and doing elbow pull-ups, where he can take you down no matter how well contested you are.
Thomas is also willing to put his head down and get to the basket, where he is a decent finisher. He is converting 62.5 percent of the appearance of him, placing himself in the ranking 46th percentile of guards. That aggression is helping him tremendously get to the line: He’s averaging a career-high 4.8 free throw attempts per game by inviting contact on his drives.
Thomas is not a great 3-point shooter, making just 33.1 percent of his attempts as a pro and 32.5 percent in college. But part of that low percentage is due to the degree of difficulty in his appearance. He willingly takes difficult step-backs, shots from beyond the line or attempts a hand directly in his face.
Thomas is not the best defender at this stage of his career, which led to him having limited playing time in his first two years. At 6-3, he doesn’t have great size and can get picked on late in games. He has also lacked focus on that end of the floor in the past, but he has improved according to Coach Vaughn.
“For me, I was looking at the defensive end of the floor,” Vaughn said of Thomas’ preseason play. as written by Nets Daily. “Was she in the right position? Were the boxes the way they were supposed to be? Were the matchups like they were supposed to be? Were you detailed in your approach? “Those things were really good.”
Thomas’ improved defense has finally earned him regular minutes, and his microwave scoring keeps him in the lineup. He is a great hard thrower who loves to get up from anywhere on the court.
Cam Thomas contract
Thomas is in the third year of his rookie-scale contract that pays him $2.2 million this season. He will earn $4.0 million in 2024-25, at which time he will be eligible for an extension or enter restricted free agency in the summer of 2025.
| Season | Salary |
| 2021-22 | $2,036,280 |
| 2022-23 | $2,138,160 |
| 2023-24 | $2,240,160 |
| 2024-25 | $4,041,249 |
| 2025-26 | RFA |
Cam Thomas statistics 2023-24 season
- 21.0 points per game
- 2.6 rebounds per game
- 2.4 assists per game
- 0.6 steals per game
- 0.3 blocks per game
- 1.8 turnovers per game
- 44.4 percent field goals
- 34.9 percent 3-point shooting
- 82.0 percent free throws
