Nets' Cam Thomas not worried about his recent cold shooting stretch
Nets guard Cam Thomas shoots the ball in the second half of an NBA game against the Thunder on Dec. 31, 2023, in Oklahoma City. Credit: AP/Kyle Phillips
For someone who takes pride in his scoring, Cam Thomas wasn’t worried about not making a shot in his last two games.
Thomas went 0-for-7 while playing 17 minutes in the Nets’ loss to the Rockets on Wednesday night. Going back to Sunday’s loss against the Thunder, he has missed his last 20 shots.
After the game, he wasn’t upset, instead accepting it as part of his NBA journey.
“It’s a first, but I think people forget I’m human,” Thomas said. “I’m still in my third year. I’m going to have ups and downs. I don’t know why it’s such a big thing when I’m off. I’m like, I’m human. So I’m going to have some bad games like this.”
Thomas’ slump is part of a bigger Nets problem on offense after 10 losses in their last 12 games. In that span, they’re last in the NBA in shooting (43.1%) and second-to-last in free-throw shooting (70.7%) and three-point shooting (32.5%).
Cam Johnson is the lone respectable shooter during that span at 50.8% from the field. Thomas is shooting 42.0%. Mikal Bridges? 36.9%. Spencer Dinwiddie? Even worse at 35.9%.
Dorian Finney-Smith is shooting 31.5% on three-pointers the last 12 games, far below his season average of 40.6%.
So it’s not just Thomas’ fault, although his missed-field-goal streak stands out. He tried to affect the game in other ways Wednesday as he shared the team lead with five assists.
“Our entire group, we’re just not in a groove right now, and he’s just a part of it,” coach Jacque Vaughn said. “I think it helps when your other teammates are making shots also. I mean, just look at the groove that we aren’t in as far as free throws are concerned.”
Johnson said Thomas’ 0-for-11 night against the Pelicans was a team issue, with teammates getting him shots late in the shot clock.
“He’s a human being. Those are very, very tough shots no matter how much you work on them, no matter how many you made in the past,” Johnson said. “Those are tough shots. I’m not gonna put anything on him. We put him in bad positions.”
The bigger problem is the Nets going cold at the wrong times. Whether it was giving up a 16-3 run to start against the Pelicans or a 22-4 third-quarter run Wednesday, the Nets are lacking consistent shot-makers all around.
Thomas is confident that his shots eventually will fall, and so is Vaughn. But after the past three weeks, the Nets’ offense needs more than just one person to get right.
“I probably say we just got to stick to our principles that we learned in training camp,” Thomas said. “Stick to our identity as a team that we have and just keep playing no matter what, no matter who’s making shots, missing shots.”
Walker’s return likely
Vaughn said Lonnie Walker IV is likely to be available on Friday against the Thunder.
Walker has missed 17 games with a strained left hamstring but has done workouts on the recent road trip. The Nets have missed his scoring (14.6 points) and shooting (46.3% on three-pointers).
“All signs are pointing towards him playing on Friday,” Vaughn said.
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
