Bobby Marks: Cam Thomas ‘might lead league in scoring’
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
Bobby Marks thinks the Nets may be the worst team in the NBA, but that Cam Thomas may be the league’s top scorer. Before last season, Cam Thomas told an interviewer — the same one he told he could average 25 points a game “no doubt” — that “Year three is a pivotal year for anybody in their career.” And it was for the 6’3” Brooklyn Nets guard who put up 22.5 points a game. That was 33rd in the NBA. The only players younger who averaged more were two overall No. 1 picks, Cade Cunningham and Paolo Banchero. Not bad for the 27th pick in the 2021 Draft ... whose 11.9-point increase in scoring average also led the NBA..
No one has asked the 22-year-old specifics about what he thinks he could average this season as the lead guy, but ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Zach Lowe think he could lead the NBA in scoring with Mikal Bridges gone and a lack of reliable scoring elsewhere on the roster. Speaking on Lowe’s “Lowe Post” season preview podcast, Bobby Marks argued Thomas could lead the league in scoring. (Luka Doncic put up 33.9 ppg last season to lead the NBA.)
“I think they might be the worst (team), I think he might lead the league in scoring,” said Marks starting at around 49:35 of the podcast.
“Yes!” Lowe exclaimed. “I think he’s going to lead at least in shot attempts. So here’s with Brooklyn, what do you do, do you do something that makes sense now,” Marks continued. “What does make sense mean, in the low $20’s? Is that too rich for a guy that could average 28, 30 PPG but he’s a restricted free agent next year, he’s got such a low cap hold, you’ve got all this room.”
In the season’s last two months, with Bridges in a funk and scoring slump, Thomas averaged 26.5 points a game, with six games over 30 including one of 41, the eighth 40-piece of his career despite inconsistent minutes, particularly under Jacque Vaughn.
Beyond scoring, Thomas will be expected to improve not just his defense, still way down that NBA list, and playmaking. As Jordi Fernandez has intimated in his public statements, he’ll want Thomas to play a larger role in the offense and not just scoring.
The discussion was in the context of what Thomas could command in the open market. Bobby Marks wondered if it makes sense for Brooklyn to consider offering him an extension next month. The former Nets GM thinks a deal with an average starting salary of $20 million a year might work.
Starting October 1, Sean Marks & co. will have a three-week opportunity to sign Thomas to an extension that would start in 2025-26. The thinking now, at least among pundits is that the Nets will let the three-week period end without a deal, waiting until July when Thomas will be a restricted free agent. That would give the Nets the ability to match any offer and have more flexibility in the crucial summer of 2025. It’s a bit of a risk and if Bobby Marks is correct, Thomas price tag will no doubt be a LOT higher.
Nets guard Cam Thomas gets eye-opening scoring prediction from NBA Insider Bobby Marks - Jackson Stone - Clutch Points
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