It is not correct to say the Nets belong to Cam Thomas, who is probably not the best overall player on a team that has a few quality two-way threats.
But as Thomas demonstrated once more in his return, their offense might have to run through him, which means he does not seem destined for the bench for long — which would force the Nets into a difficult decision involving their starting five.
Thomas, playing for the first time in 22 days on Thursday, showed no signs of rust.
He sunk floaters, swished long jumpers and again was at his best when the shots were most difficult, pumping in 26 points in just 25 minutes — all of which came off the bench for a player who previously had been sidelined by an ankle injury.
Thomas will need some time to build his stamina back up, but he demonstrated one more time that he is more than a microwave scorer.
“I think that’s gonna be the challenge of now incorporating himself within the group and being able to play within the group,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said after the Nets’ loss to the Hornets.
Thomas began this season as a spark off the bench and joined the starting lineup when injuries struck (in particular to Cam Johnson).
What followed was a revelation, Thomas growing into the focal point of the attack and averaging a fairly efficient and definitely stunning 28.7 points in the Nets’ first seven games.
The ankle sprain forced Thomas to the shelf for nine games, a span in which the Nets mostly returned to health (with the exception of the still-hurting Ben Simmons).
Thomas returned Thursday in his old role: He was a burst scorer off the bench while playing on a minutes restriction, Vaughn not wanting to ask too much of a guard who had not played for three weeks.
But the smaller role was born from necessity and not from design.
Thomas is showing he should be a part of the offense at the beginning and end of games.
His late-game absence due to the minutes restriction was glaring, especially when Johnson missed what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer.
“Good to have him back out there, another weapon for us,” Vaughn said of Thomas. “And now we’ve gotta put it all together with more healthy bodies.”
If a fully built-up Thomas enters into the starting lineup, the Nets would be faced with making a difficult corresponding decision with one of their veterans.
Mikal Bridges and Nic Claxton belong.
If Thomas ascends into the first five, one of Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and Johnson would be demoted.
Benching any of the three would come with drawbacks.
Dinwiddie, an established point guard who is the team’s best distributor, has adjusted well into a role that requires less scoring.
It is not an accident that the 30-year-old owns the best plus-minus on the team.
Finney-Smith has been solid in a supporting role on offense and is knocking down 45 percent of his 3-point attempts, but demoting the 6-foot-7 wing would be most felt on the other end.
Finney-Smith is an excellent defender capable of guarding just about anyone, and Thomas’ weakness is on defense.
The Nets’ starting five would be small and push Johnson to the power forward.
Or the Nets could ask Johnson to come off the bench, which would come with an additional complication: Would the Nets relegate a valuable player whom they just signed to a four-year, $108 million pact?
The 27-year-old wing got off to a slow start after missing time with a calf injury, but his shot has begun to come around in his past five games, in which he’s shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from deep.
Any of the three could play with the second group, which has been at its best when Lonnie Walker IV can take charge of the offense.
If Thomas continues to come off the bench, Walker likely would be minimized.
Walker will not play Saturday against the Magic, sitting with a hamstring strain.
The Nets might not need to have the rotations figured out by game time against Orlando, as Thomas again could be on a pitch count.
But as he continues to show his scoring touch is real, the Nets are approaching a tricky decision.
“Credit to the performance staff, they were helping me get right,” Thomas said after shooting 11-for-21 from the field on Thursday. “They helped me stay ready, stay in good shape to come out here and play the way I did.”
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