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Kyrie Who? | Cam Thomas’ Offensive Explosions Ties LeBron James’ Scoring Record

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Cam Thomas is making the loss of Kyrie Irving an easier pill for Brooklyn Nets fans to swallow. The second-year guard out of LSU, at just 21 years and 116 games old, joined LeBron James as one of the two youngest players to score 44 or more in consecutive games.

“For real?” Thomas said when told of the accolade. “That’s great company to have my name mentioned with that guy. … He’s about to break the all-time scoring record in two games or one game. I’m just glad to have my name mentioned with him this young.”

Cam Thomas Ties LeBron James Scoring Record

For real, Cam! In his last two games with the Nets shorthanded and in desperate need of scoring due to the Irving trade and Kevin Durant‘s injury, Thomas has averaged 45 points, four rebounds and four assists on absurd 59/68/90 shooting splits.

Yes, it’s a super small sample size of two games. But Thomas is a legitimate scorer in this league. Lots of players can score, but he has scoring talent, and it’s evident by his array of moves.

Thomas is not an Irving replacement, nor is he even “Irving light.” But what he is is an offensive weapon the Nets can deploy off their bench when scoring becomes a slog, as it is bound to be when Durant is the only elite team member who can get his own shot or create for another player on the roster.

This scoring barrage by Thomas could also be a showcase. The NBA trade deadline is set for this Thursday at 3 pm. The Nets already sent Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and draft capital.

If the Nets plan on keeping Durant, at least for the rest of this season, they likely want to show him they can still compete this year. A young player like Thomas who is proving he has scoring talent could entice a team like the Toronto Raptors to part ways with one of their proven playoff veterans. Someone like Fred Van Vleet, OG Anunoby or Pascal Siakam.

Either of those three would be welcome additions for Durant and the Nets this season as they look to go on a deep playoff run.

The extended run Thomas is getting now could also be a test to determine if he is a part of the future here if the team decides to move on from Durant at the trade deadline or this summer.

If the Nets decide to rebuild and acquire draft capital and young talent for Durant, Thomas and Nic Claxton could be a part of that rebuild.

This is the reality of life in the NBA when you’re a young player that wasn’t a top-five pick. The period before the All-Star break is fraught with emotions, because who knows where you’ll end up.

But all you can control is your play and how you approach your craft. Thomas has done that really well this season after being in and out of the rotation for most of the year and not playing as much as he would like.

He kept working with the Nets’ “stay ready” group, and now he’s taken this opportunity and run with it so far .

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