ORLANDO, Fla. — The Nets have had one of many NBA’s worst assaults ever since they misplaced Cam Thomas.
However they’re on the point of getting again their main scorer.
They usually hope they’ll get their lacking offense again with him.
Thomas was listed as possible for Sunday’s sport towards the Magic.
The younger taking pictures guard has missed the previous 13 video games with a left hamstring pressure.
Brooklyn was simply 4-9 in these video games, so his return can’t come a second too quickly for the struggling Nets.
“It’ll be nice when we get Cam Thomas back just to have some … a real half-court bucket, half-court scorer,” middle Nic Claxton mentioned not too long ago of getting Thomas again. “That’ll be good. We’re missing him right now a lot.”
Thomas has certainly been a bucket, averaging a team-high 24.7 factors on spectacular .461/.389/.866 taking pictures splits, all however the final representing profession highs.
And to say Brooklyn has missed him is a gross understatement.
Regardless of most sportsbooks having projected the Nets to complete with the second-worst report within the league, they got here out of the gates surprisingly effectively primarily based on a greater than anticipated assault.
They had been 8-10 after a win at then-Western Convention main Golden State, and had the league’s eighth-best Offensive Score (115.0).
However Thomas received damage in that victory over the Warriors, and since then Brooklyn has had the Twenty ninth-ranked Offensive Score, or second-worst at 105.5.
With out level guard Dennis Schroder to run the pick-and-roll, Brooklyn has been nearly utterly reliant on Ben Simmons getting them moving into transition.
After they haven’t been capable of get simple buckets in transition or early offense, they’ve sputtered to attain within the half-court.
They don’t have gamers who can self-create.
Although small ahead Cam Johnson — who missed Friday’s loss to San Antonio with a proper hip contusion, and is listed as possible towards the Magic — has proven a newfound potential to take action, it’s not his energy.
However it’s — and all the time has been — Thomas’.
His 1.24 factors per possession in isolation is the very best within the league (amongst gamers averaging no less than two isos over 15 video games).
The august firm proper behind Thomas — Jayson Tatum’s 1.18, Kevin Durant’s 1.14 and Kyrie Irving’s 1.13 — ought to present simply how prolific he’s turn out to be.
And simply how necessary to a group that was already talent-starved.
Thomas hasn’t performed since earlier than Thanksgiving, and Brooklyn’s offense promptly cratered as quickly as he left the lineup.
“Obviously it’s different for everybody. You’ve got a lot of people in the spots, but our offense is different now, so we’ve all just got to adjust. It’s part of the game. We’re professionals. So it’s not easy. It’s definitely a challenge,” Claxton mentioned. “But we’ll get there. And then, like I said, when we get [Thomas] back, that’ll help.”
With Thomas listed as possible, that might be as quickly as Sunday towards the Magic.
