Cam Thomas Rumors | Hoops Rumors

New York Notes: Thomas, Nets, Simmons, Hartenstein, Knicks

November 30th, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets are getting their leading scorer back on Thursday, as the team announced that guard Cam Thomas will return to action against Charlotte (Twitter link via Ian Begley of SNY.tv).

Thomas will be on a minutes restriction after missing the past nine games with a left ankle sprain, a team source tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post (via Twitter).

The 27th pick of the 2021 draft, Thomas was having a breakout third season for Brooklyn prior to the injury, averaging career highs virtually every major statistic, including points (26.9), rebounds (3.8), assists (2.1) and minutes per game (32.4) through eight contests (seven starts). The 22-year-old will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2024.

Here’s more from the NBA’s two New York-based teams:

Ben Simmons continues to be sidelined for the Nets — he’ll miss his 12th straight game on Thursday due to a nerve impingement in his lower left back, per the NBA’s official injury report. Dan Martin of The New York Post details how Brooklyn has begun to thrive without Simmons in the lineup, despite the team planning to build around his unique skill set in 2023/24. According to Martin, the Nets — who have won three straight — have gotten key contributions from different players “nearly every night” of late, including Royce O’Neale, Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson.
When the Knicks signed Isaiah Hartenstein to a two-year, $16MM contract last year, they cited his shooting, play-making and passing as complementary skills to bruising center Mitchell Robinson. However, as Stefan Bondy writes in a subscriber-only story for The New York Post, Hartenstein quickly learned last season that he needed to adapt his game to fit head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s system in order to stay in the rotation. “I think that’s a thing a lot of NBA players don’t do. That’s kind of how you whittle down the league,” Hartenstein said. “And for me, that was adjusting it to less of a finesse game and more of getting guys open [with screens], more of just crashing for the rebounds. Whereas before it was more passing, catching it in the pocket, playing off that.” Hartenstein doesn’t put up gaudy stats, but he thinks he’s in the conversation for being the best backup center in the league. When Bondy asked about his impending free agency in 2024, the 25-year-old said, “We’ll see what happens. I love New York, so we’ll see what happens.”
The Knicks‘ schedule became more difficult after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, notes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscription required). New York will play at Milwaukee on Tuesday for the quarterfinal matchup, meaning the Knicks will play the Bucks five times instead of four in ’23/24. If the Knicks and Celtics advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas, they would have to play Boston a fifth time as well. Still, the Knicks view it as a chance to get better. “I don’t look at anything as a consequence,” forward Julius Randle said, per Popper. “Winning games, playing good basketball, got a chance to compete against the best. Who wouldn’t want that opportunity?”

Atlantic Notes: Hart, Reed, Dick, Barrett, Thomas, Smith

November 29th, 2023 at 9:57am CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks wing Josh Hart doesn’t agree with coach Tom Thibodeau‘s assessment of his role, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

Hart, who signed a four-year, $81MM extension during the summer, believes he has a reduced role in the offense and doesn’t have the ball in his hands as often as he did last season. “I’m a rhythm player. So sometimes if I don’t touch the ball for four or five minutes running up and down the floor, just catch-and-shoot, I might as well be playing with a football,” Hart said.

However, his coach has an opposite view. “There really hasn’t been a change,” Thibodeau said. “To be honest, his usage is up. He’s handling the ball more. The way he’s being used is not any different than last year.”

Following the Knicks’ game against Charlotte on Tuesday, Hart made a point of telling the media he’s not unhappy, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. “Just so you know, I’m not a disgruntled player. Make sure y’all tweet that (stuff). Josh Hart said he’s not disgruntled.”

Katz detailed Hart’s usage in an in-depth piece on Tuesday.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Paul Reed was surprised that his comments about the Lakers‘ Anthony Davis during the morning shootaround on Monday went viral, as Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer details. The Sixers big man called Davis “a big flopper” and added, “he’s going to be flailing.” Reed soon found out his comments caused controversy. “I started checking Twitter and Instagram,” he said, “and I’m like, ‘Damn, people are really mad at me in the Lakers community.’” Reed and Davis wound up sharing the court for only three minutes in Philly’s blowout win.
Raptors first-round pick Gradey Dick shot 6-for-33 over his first two games with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League team. Dick, who has appeared in 15 NBA games, told Blake Murphy of Sportsnet he’s not worried about his shot. “My confidence hasn’t dwindled at all,” Dick said. “I mean, I’ll go take the next 10 shots, I don’t really care. Because I know me as a shooter, and it’s not any cockiness, but at the same time I think it’s positive cockiness. I’ve put in enough work off the court and I’m still doing it now where I have that confidence and trust.”
Knicks wing RJ Barrett says he’s still trying to get back in form after a bout with migraines, Bondy writes. Barrett has shot 33% of the field in the last five games after dealing with the severe headaches. “I didn’t pick up where I left off,” Barrett said. “That’s OK. Honestly, this was going to happen at some point during the season whether I got sick or not. So, I’m just doing what I do all the time, working my way out of it. Not worried.”
Cam Thomas and Dennis Smith Jr. are getting close to returning, Nets coach Jacque Vaughn told Dan Martin of the New York Post. A sprained left ankle has sidelined Thomas since Nov. 8, while Smith has missed the last five games with a lower back sprain. They both participated in simulated-game activity after the team’s shootaround on Tuesday. “They’re both trending in the direction of hopefully playing with us soon,’’ Vaughn said. “The fact that they both participated is a good sign.”

New York Notes: Brunson, Quickley, Randle, Robinson, Claxton, Thomas

November 27th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley have built chemistry during their second season together in the Knicks’ backcourt, as Fred Katz of The Athletic details. It’s especially notable in the screening Quickley does to create space for Brunson.

Whether they’ll remain together for the long haul remains to be seen. Quickley and the Knicks front office failed to reach a rookie scale extension agreement last month, which means Quickley will be a restricted free agent next summer.

We have more on the New York clubs:

Julius Randle had a 28-point game against the Suns on Sunday but his inconsistent play is a big reason for the Knicks’ mediocre start, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines. Randle, the team’s highest-salaried player at $28.2MM this season, is shooting 38.7% from the field and 69.2% from the free throw line.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson took a hard fall against Phoenix on Sunday after he elevated for an offensive rebound during the third quarter. However, he’s apparently OK. Robinson went through practice on Monday, according to coach Tom Thibodeau, Katz tweets. Robinson was examined by the team’s trainers Sunday night.
Nets center Nic Claxton, who aggravated a left ankle injury that has nagged him this season, is listed as questionable to play against Toronto on Tuesday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Cam Thomas, who is averaging 26.9 points, is listed as doubtful. He hasn’t played since Nov. 8 due to a left ankle sprain.

Nets Notes: Claxton, Finney-Smith, Thomas, Whitehead, Irving

November 27th, 2023 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

After missing eight games earlier this season with a high left ankle sprain, Nets center Nic Claxton twisted the ankle again Saturday night, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The injury happened late in the first quarter against Miami, and Claxton was able to walk to the locker room without assistance. He returned before the first half ended, but was held out of Sunday’s game.

Claxton was originally listed as probable for Sunday, but was downgraded to questionable before being ruled out less than an hour before tip-off. As he did during Claxton’s prolonged absence, coach Jacque Vaughn opted for a small-ball lineup with Dorian Finney-Smith getting the start in the middle. The 6’7″ forward has become a valuable long-distance threat for Brooklyn, ranking fourth in shooting percentage among players with at least 90 three-point attempts, and Vaughn is urging Finney-Smith to keep seeking his shots no matter what position he’s playing.

“He’s going to get opportunities, and hopefully we unleashed that mentally when I said to him ‘Shoot eight threes, bro. Go ahead, shoot them. We want you to shoot them, we believe in you. You’ve done it in the past,’” Vaughn said. “The last three, five years he was 40-something percent on corner 3s. … So he has the résumé behind it and we want to encourage him to keep shooting.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

The Nets are hoping to get some practice time for Cam Thomas, who missed his eighth straight game Sunday with a sprained ankle, Lewis adds, but a crowded schedule is preventing the team from having any official practice days. Vaughn indicated that he might have to get creative with Thomas, who would rank ninth in the league scoring race at 26.9 PPG if he had played enough to qualify. “Yeah, you didn’t participate in shootaround or whatever we had this walk-through [Sunday, Monday’s] an off day, so that kind of puts him in a tough position for us to schedule an actual practice for him,” Vaughn said. “So hopefully we’ll get to a point where we can simulate some things with some video guys and also with some G-League guys maybe in this week coming up.”
First-round picks Dariq Whitehead and Noah Clowney were thrilled to make their NBA debuts late in Saturday’s game, Lewis states in a separate story. “I feel like a healthy Dariq Whitehead can be very special,” said Whitehead, who missed Summer League and training camp after foot surgery. “So just knowing that if I get my feet under me, get everything right in terms of the other problems that come with it — shin splints, and stuff like that — then I think I’ll be 100% fine, ready to go. I’ve definitely been feeling great.”
After Kevin Durant talked about his Nets experience over the weekend, Kyrie Irving offered his perspective on what went wrong in Brooklyn. In a video posted by Clippers beat writer Tomer Azarly, Irving said, “It’s kind of like the girl that got away. … Looking back, you got a great bad wife, kids and you’re like, ‘Tss.’ I don’t wanna second guess it, I don’t wanna get in trouble with my wife. I’m not thinking about nobody else, baby.”

Injury Notes: Embiid, Nets, Lyles, Fultz, LeVert

November 22nd, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Joel Embiid will be sidelined for Wednesday’s game in Minnesota due to left hip soreness, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

While Embiid has been frequently impacted by injuries over the course of his career, there’s no indication at this point that his hip issue is a cause for any real concern. Wednesday’s contest is the second night of a back-to-back set and it will be the first game that the reigning MVP has missed this season. He played 41 minutes in Tuesday’s overtime loss to Cleveland.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Nets guard Ben Simmons (back nerve impingement) is making progress in his recovery and has begun “light individual court work,” but he’ll be sidelined for at least seven-to-10 more days, the team announced today in a press release. Brooklyn offered a more positive update on Cam Thomas, who has made “significant improvement” in his recovery from a left ankle sprain and has been cleared for increased on-court work. He’s expected to be integrated into team activities next week, according to the club. Guard Dennis Smith Jr., meanwhile, is day to day with a lower back sprain.
Kings forward Trey Lyles, who has yet to play this season due to a left calf strain, appears to be on the verge of his season debut. According to Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee, Lyles is expected to be active on Wednesday vs. New Orleans, while Keegan Murray (lower back soreness) will likely be ruled out. Both players were listed as questionable in the NBA’s most recent injury report.
Magic guard Markelle Fultz is unavailable for a seventh straight game on Wednesday vs. Denver due to left knee tendinitis, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.
In addition to missing Donovan Mitchell for the past three games, the Cavaliers have also been without Caris LeVert, who is dealing with knee soreness, for their past two contests, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs haven’t missed a beat without the two guards, however, and are currently riding a four-game winning streak.

Injury Notes: LaRavia, Reddish, Watanabe, DSJ, Thomas

November 22nd, 2023 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies forward Jake LaRavia is undergoing a procedure to address a corneal abrasion of his left eye, the team announced in a press release on Tuesday (Twitter link). According to the club, LaRavia will be reevaluated in about two or three weeks, so he won’t return until sometime in December, at the earliest.

It’s the latest in a growing list of injuries for the Grizzlies, who are missing big men Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke due to long-term ailments and have also had Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Xavier Tillman go down recently.

The Grizzlies are already carrying one extra player on their standard roster while Ja Morant is on the suspended list, but could qualify for another roster spot via the hardship provision. A team can apply for a hardship exception when it has at least four players who have missed three or more consecutive games due to injury or illness, assuming those players will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Wednesday’s game vs. Houston will be the third straight that Smart, Kennard, and Tillman have missed, so the Grizzlies could request a hardship exception after that contest if they want to try to add some extra depth.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Lakers forward Cam Reddish left Tuesday’s win over Utah early due to a groin injury and didn’t return. He’ll undergo further evaluation on Wednesday to assess the severity of the injury, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Head coach Darvin Ham said that second-year guard Max Christie could play a “really prominent” role on Wednesday vs. Dallas if Reddish can’t go, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
Suns forward Yuta Watanabe, who was unavailable for a second straight game on Tuesday, has a “deep” thigh bruise that head coach Frank Vogel described as “really painful,” per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Watanabe’s return timeline is unclear.
Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr., affected by a lower back sprain, underwent an MRI on Tuesday, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Smith will be out for a second consecutive game on Wednesday.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn added that the team should have an update on injured guard Cam Thomas (ankle sprain) later this week, according to Lewis. “He is heading in the right direction,” Vaughn said of Thomas. “Unless we wanted to be extremely proficient in giving him an MRI to compare to, to my knowledge he won’t need another MRI. He’s building towards getting back on the floor.”

Nets Notes: Bridges, LaVine, Thomas, Johnson, Simmons

November 16th, 2023 at 4:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Mikal Bridges has individual handshakes and greetings with people throughout the Nets‘ organization. He hopes that positive energy will help build the team’s culture.

“I think it’s just being who I am, that’s how culture starts,” Bridges told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. “Bringing in good people. I think there’s nothing else to it. Just bringing energy, being who I am and just be nice. Basically be myself and hopefully people will follow.”

As Fischer writes, the 27-year-old wing is friendly with many players around the league, including stars. Brooklyn hopes Bridges’ personality and “malleable” game will make the Nets an attractive option for a star player in the future.

“I’m friends with a lot of people. I think friendships help. Obviously, if I think it’s a good option, then yeah.” said Bridges, adding that he’s not proactively recruiting players around the league. “I’m just trying to win now and do what it takes. You can talk about all the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybe this,’ but you can’t control that. Other than that just trying to win now. I’m more locked in on the guys here.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

If Zach LaVine is traded, he’s unlikely to land with Brooklyn, sources tell Fischer. Based on Fischer’s wording, it’s unclear if LaVine is uninterested in the Nets or they’re uninterested in him (or both).
Guard Cam Thomas will be reevaluated next week after spraining his left ankle. While he’s in “good spirits” and is making progress, he says sustaining the injury was discouraging, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Of course it’s frustrating. I was playing real well, helping the team, we were competing. What was I, number six or seven in scoring at the time? So obviously it’s frustrating,” said Thomas, who is averaging 26.9 points in eight games. “But at the end of day, everything happens for a reason. So I’m going to just try to rehab as best I can, just so I can get back to that level of play I was at, that’s the only thing I’m looking forward to.”
Forward Cameron Johnson scored a season-high 20 points (on 7-of-11 shooting) in Tuesday’s victory over Orlando, also contributing five rebounds and three steals. It was a much-needed boost to a Nets team playing without Thomas and Ben Simmons (back), writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post. Johnson missed seven consecutive games after getting injured in the season opener, but he seems to be rounding into form, says Reilly.
The Nets can no longer rely on Simmons as a focal point after his latest injury, a nerve impingement in his lower left back that will sideline him for at least another week, Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily.com opines. Assuming Simmons is fully healthy when he returns, Kaplan thinks he’ll return to the starting lineup because he’s the highest-paid player on the team. But that would be a mistake, in Kaplan’s view, because Simmons negatively impacts the half-court offense, which has looked better without him. Kaplan believes Simmons should be a “low-minute, spark-plug point-center that pushes the pace relentlessly” off the bench.

Nets’ Cam Thomas Expected To Miss At Least Two Weeks

November 9th, 2023 at 2:07pm CST by Luke Adams

A left ankle sprain is expected to keep Nets guard Cam Thomas on the shelf for at least two weeks, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Thomas sustained the injury on Wednesday night vs. the Clippers, rolling his ankle after stepping on P.J. Tucker‘s foot (Twitter video link via Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily). Word last night indicated that he would undergo an MRI on Thursday.

The 27th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Thomas had flashed impressive offensive upside during his first two years in the league, but had yet to play a consistent rotation role. He has received big minutes in the first two weeks of this season, however, and has been Brooklyn’s leading scorer, averaging 26.9 points per game on .479/.321/.851 shooting in eight contests (seven starts; 32.4 MPG).

Thomas had been one of only two Nets starters – along with Mikal Bridges – to average more than 14 points per game in the early going this season, so the team will have to look elsewhere for offense as long as he’s unavailable. The good news for Brooklyn on the injury front is that it sounds like wing Cameron Johnson is nearing a return.

Injury Notes: Davis, Hayes, Jones, Herro, C. Thomas

November 8th, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Rory Maher

After previously expressing optimism that he wouldn’t miss additional time with the injury, Lakers big man Anthony Davis was ruled out of Wednesday’s game vs. Houston due to left hip spasms, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes.

The Lakers were also without reserve center Jaxson Hayes, who is dealing with a left ankle sprain, McMenamin adds.

Davis initially sustained the injury on Monday against Miami, exiting the game in the third quarter. Sources tell McMenamin the Lakers are hopeful Davis will be back in action for Friday’s matchup in Phoenix.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

The Pelicans were extremely shorthanded on Wednesday, with multiple rotation players sidelined for various reasons. A third starter — wing Herbert Jones — was ruled out ahead of the matchup vs. Minnesota due to a right fibula contusion, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. With so many players injured, all three of the team’s two-way players (Matt Ryan, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Dereon Seabron) received first-quarter minutes, with Robinson-Earl getting a starting nod, Guillory adds (via Twitter). Robinson-Earl just signed his two-way deal with the Pelicans last week.
Heat guard Tyler Herro is off to a strong start in 2023/24, but unfortunately he sustained a right ankle sprain in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game vs. Memphis and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, the team announced (via Twitter). Bally Sports Heat has the video (Twitter link), with Herro landing on Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s foot following a floater in the lane. Herro was unable to put weight on his leg after the injury and hopped to the locker room.
Another player off to a terrific start this season is Nets guard Cam Thomas. Unfortunately, he suffered a left ankle sprain on Wednesday vs. the Clippers and missed the remainder of the game, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links), who adds that Thomas will undergo an MRI on Thursday. The 2021 first-round pick rolled his ankle after stepping on P.J. Tucker‘s foot (Twitter video link via Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily).

Nets Notes: Johnson, Claxton, Giles, Simmons, Thomas

November 8th, 2023 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets wing Cameron Johnson, who has been sidelined since the team’s regular season opener due to a left leg injury, appears to be nearing a return. As Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post writes, Johnson was listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game vs. the Clippers, the first time he has been upgraded from “out.”

When word broke on October 30 that Johnson had been diagnosed with a strain in his left leg, the plan was for him to be reevaluated in 10 days. That evaluation is due to happen on Thursday, so Johnson’s return could follow shortly thereafter.

Here’s more on the Nets:

The Nets assigned Johnson, Nic Claxton, and Harry Giles to the G League for Wednesday’s practice with Long Island, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. That bodes well for Johnson and for Claxton, who is also making his way back from an injury sustained on opening night (a left ankle sprain). Head coach Jacque Vaughn referred to the big man earlier this week as “day-to-day,” so it sounds as if he’s getting close to playing.
Following two injury-plagued seasons, Ben Simmons may be held out for one game of the Nets’ back-to-back sets for the foreseeable future, Lewis writes for The New York Post. “I don’t even know. That’s going to be on them,” Simmons said when asked if that’s the plan. “I believe so. Me, I feel good. I feel ready. I think they’re just being smart about it. So yeah.” While Wednesday’s game isn’t part of a back-to-back, Simmons is being listed as questionable due to left hip soreness.
Cam Thomas, Brooklyn’s leading scorer so far this season, spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about several topics, including his hot start, his efforts to improve as a defender, and how the perception of the Nets has changed since the departures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. “I’d say with KD and Kyrie, we were more under a microscope, while this team is more under the radar,” Thomas said. “We’re coming up trying to prove people wrong and show that we’re really a good team and we can contend with anybody.”