Nets' Jordi Fernandez thinks officials should be sending Cam Thomas to the free-throw line more often
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Cam Thomas took a 10-second pause Tuesday night after hearing a question. With his lack of drawing fouls, has he gotten an unfair whistle this season?
He looked to his left at a Nets spokesperson. He looked up and then smirked before he found the best way to answer without criticizing the officials.
“I guess I'm not going to the basket hard enough,” Thomas said following the Nets’ 144-139 overtime loss to the Nuggets. “Just got to figure out a way to get the calls and hope they call it. But I guess, I don't know, it's tough.”
Coach Jordi Fernandez disagreed. For the second time in four games, he questioned the lack of fouls called defending Thomas, as well as the free throw disparity. The Nets took 27 free throws to the Nuggets’ 47.
Thomas took nine free throws, second on the Nets behind Dorian Finney-Smith’s 11.
“I’m happy with him shooting eight threes. A couple of those shots, it should’ve been fouls but they didn’t call,” Fernandez said. “And that’s why, right there, I’m OK with my 27 [attempts], not with their 47 [attempts] because Cam Thomas, I can tell you that he’s one of the top scorers in the NBA and he did not get treated like Trae [Young] in the first game.”
Fernandez made similar points after the Nets’ season-opening loss at the Hawks. Thomas had 36 points to Young’s 30, but Young, one of the NBA’s best foul drawers, took 16 free throws. Thomas took just one and the Nets had 25 total, 21 fewer than Atlanta.
The evidence presents a interesting case. Entering Wednesday’s game against the Grizzlies, Thomas is 16th in the NBA with 7.3 free throw attempts per game despite taking the third-most shots per game (21.8) of that group.
Since Oct. 24, after that first game, Thomas is shooting 9.3 free throws, which is 11th and directly behind Jaylen Brown (9.7) and Young (10.0). It’s well behind more physical players like Jimmy Butler (14.0), James Harden (11.0), and Damian Lillard (10.7).
The Nets also lead the NBA in fouls (30.3) and opponent free throw attempts (39.3) . Part of that is from the Nets playing aggressively on defense, and players like Finney-Smith have noted they need to be better at defending without fouling.
At the same time, the Nets are averaging 19.5 free-throw attempts, tied for 21st in the league. Not surprisingly, that stems from the Nets taking a high volume of threes (44.3, fourth in the league) through four games. Fouls tend to happen closer to the rim.
So the simple conclusion? Thomas is better at drawing shooting fouls, but not on the level of the NBA’s elite scorers early this season.
That could come in time. This is Thomas’ fourth season, but just his second getting consistent minutes. Officials could still be getting used to how he drives to the rim or attracts more defenders.
Fernandez isn’t waiting for that. He understood why Nikola Jokic shot 13 free throws Tuesday, given how physical Jokic is in the post.
Yet he believes Thomas deserves more respect from the officials, even if Thomas won't say so.
“Like I said before, the NBA will do their job with training, with whoever they have to train,” Fernandez said. “I think it's human nature to give a call to a three-time MVP [and] NBA champion, and then you look at the other side, and you don't do [it] the same way.
"But at some point they'll have to look at CT, look at all our guys the same way.”
Notes & quotes: Nic Claxton will miss Wednesday’s game as part of his return-to-play program following his preseason hamstring injury. Claxton played a season-high 26 minutes off the bench Tuesday and had 16 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out….Wednesday is Ziaire Williams’ first game back in Memphis since the Grizzlies traded him last summer after three seasons. “I would be lying if I told you I didn’t miss them,” said Williams. “Those are my guys. The coaching staff, the players, the fans. They show me nothing but love. So I’m definitely happy to go back home a little bit and be on the other side of them for a little bit.”
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
