Why Nets could benefit from holding off on Cam Thomas extension
09/27/2024 02:05 PM
The Brooklyn Nets enter the 2024-25 season with a new No. 1 offensive option: Cam Thomas. After cracking Brooklyn’s rotation for the first time last season, the 22-year-old led the team in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game. That was an 11.9-point jump from the prior season, the highest of any player in the league.
Many within league circles expect another scoring leap from Thomas this season as he steps into a feature role for a Nets team severely lacking shot creation. The fourth-year guard has the 10th-best odds to lead the NBA in scoring.
Thomas is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Nets will have a chance to lock him into an extension before the 2024-25 campaign. Starting Oct. 1, Brooklyn will have a three-week window to negotiate a deal.
“There are several guys on our team that we could be having extension conversations with. So we’ll certainly engage with agents and with the players, and I think it’s important to always have that door open,” General Manager Sean Marks said. “The window will certainly close if we can’t get something done, but I think it’s important for those players to know that we care about them and know where we see them, whether the timing is right this year or if it’s next offseason.”
Sean Marks said he will engage Cam Thomas and his agent about an extension:
"It's important to always have that door open. The window will certainly close on the extension if we can't get something done… It's important for those players to know we care about them and know… pic.twitter.com/Uvp745OZaq
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) September 26, 2024
While a scoring explosion from Thomas could drive up his price next summer, Brooklyn could still benefit from holding off on an extension.
Will the Nets extend Cam Thomas before this season?
Thomas will have a $12.1 million cap hold next offseason. A cap hold is a number assigned to a team’s cap sheet that acts as a placeholder for impending free agents. It is meant to prevent teams from using room under the cap to sign free agents before using Bird rights to re-sign their own free agents.
However, many are projecting Thomas to earn a deal north of $20 million annually. Suppose the Nets were to sign him to an extension now, that $20-plus million would be subtracted from their projected cap space next summer. But if they were to wait, only Thomas’ $12.1 million cap hold would eat into their cap space. This would allow Brooklyn to utilize the extra space before exceeding the cap to sign Thomas using his bird rights.
The Philadelphia 76ers used this strategy with Tyrese Maxey last season, letting him play out the final year of his rookie deal before inking him to an extension this summer.
What are the Nets’ on-court plans for Thomas in 2024-25?
While Thomas broke out last season, he is still a polarizing player across the league. While the LSU product is an elite-scoring talent, he’s undersized and struggles to defend. It’s unclear whether he can raise his efficiency and playmaking to a point where he can be a top offensive option on a playoff team.
Thomas improved in these areas in 2023-24, a season he often referred to as his rookie campaign after riding the bench his first two years with Brooklyn. He averaged 4.0 assists per game over a two-month stretch late in the year. He also shot a career-high 43.6 percent on catch-and-shoot threes.
Some Cam Thomas dimes for you. pic.twitter.com/yj8sppDrCF
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 28, 2024
Cam Thomas' quick trigger on catch-and-shoot threes has been a great development for his offensive game this season.
He's shooting 42.6% on 2.5 attempts per game. pic.twitter.com/l5arE3KRzr
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 27, 2024
Newly hired Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez hopes to build upon that growth in 2024-25.
“I think development is the number one thing… Everybody has to get better, there has to be a plan,” Fernandez said. “My conversations with Cam have been, ‘Can I help you be more efficient of a scorer?’ If you look at his numbers, the less he dribbles, the more efficient he is. [He’s at] the top of the NBA there; it’s impressive.”
“His superpower is to score the ball, and we need to help him do that, but in an efficient way. Same with his playmaking, because he attracts so much attention, so teams are going to try to blitz him, load to him. He can kick that and create more assists, potential assists. It’s on me and the rest of the coaching staff to help him, and we believe he can take that next step.”
Jordi Fernandez on his plan for Cam Thomas this season:
"My conversations with Cam have been, 'Can I help you be a more efficient scorer?' If you look at his numbers, the less he dribbles, the more efficient he is… His superpower is to score the ball… We need to help him do… pic.twitter.com/iXnX3pJrVO
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) September 26, 2024
The numbers back up Fernandez’s assessment.
Thomas posted a 65.8 effective field goal percentage on shots without a dribble last season, per NBA.com stats. That number dropped to a respectable 50.8 when he took one dribble and 48.3 when he took two. However, it plummeted to 43.8 when he took three to six.
Thomas will be Brooklyn’s top scorer this season. However, given his off-the-dribble numbers and improvement as a catch-and-shoot threat, he should play off the ball a fair amount. He’ll have to be effective in such a role if he plays alongside a superstar on a contender one day.
The fourth-year Net should also continue to hone his skills in the pick-and-roll ball. Brooklyn scored 0.91 points per possession with Thomas as a pick-and-roll ball-handler last season. That ranked 33rd among 50 players who averaged five or more pick-and-rolls per game. However, he and Nic Claxton flashed growing chemistry in that area late in the year.
Thomas and the new-look Nets begin training camp on Tuesday. They’ll open the preseason in San Diego on Oct. 8 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
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