Cam Thomas is a huge lover of Las Vegas, and he demonstrated that affection once again on Monday night when he stepped in for an injured Cam Johnson and impressed Nets fans with his performance.

 

 

 

 

 

After the calmest offseason in recent memory, the Brooklyn Nets roared back into our lives on Monday, facing up against King James and the Los Angeles Lakers on the hardwood for the first time since the offseason began. Even though the Nets were defeated by the Lakeshow with a score of 129-126, it was a victory in and of itself just to see the Nets playing on the floor, especially one player in particular.

Ben Simmons, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, and Nic Claxton were the starting lineup for Brooklyn as the game began. Before tipoff, the focus and excitement were amplified as a result of Jacque Vaughn’s decision to start Thomas instead of the ailing Cameron Johnson. Last season, when Thomas was a starter, he scored an average of 39 points per game. However, this season, the team has had a lot of roster change, thus Thomas has only started four games.

Thomas had demonstrated once more, by the time the Nets had lost by a score of 129-126, that if you give him the ball, he will score buckets—26 of them in 22 minutes.

After the match, Thomas was quoted as saying, “I was just playing the game.”

One of the two major stories to come out of T-Mobile Arena was Thomas’s performance. The other was, of course, the return of Ben Simmons following a season that he did not play in (2021-22), which was followed by a disappointing season that was plagued by unresolved back and nerve difficulties resulting from his spinal surgery in May 2022. Simmons proclaimed that he was “happy to be out there and compete and feel good out there and able to contribute like I know I can,” and he used the phrase “amazing, amazing” to describe how he was feeling. I had a terrific feeling. He informed the press that it was without a doubt the best in the past two years. “Most certainly.”

And Simmons also shared her admiration for Thomas in her comments.

Simmons remarked about his fellow backcourt player, saying, “He’s grown tremendously over the past few months.” “Just his intelligence and the way he’s playing the game,” she said. It seems to me that he has slowed down somewhat. While he is making smart shots and finding teammates when they are open, he is, at the same time, remaining true to himself as a player. It is possible for him to obtain a bucket.

In addition to these, there were a lot of other things that went well. Lonnie Walker IV (14 points) and Trendon Watford (10 points as a point forward), who was Thomas’ college roommate at LSU, both notched double digits off the bench. Spencer Dinwiddie, who only played in the first half, finished with 12 points, hitting 4-of-5 from deep. Lonnie Walker IV (14 points) and Trendon Watford (10 points) both notched double figures.

The most significant drawback, in addition to the team’s general defense and Mikal Bridges’ inability to break free from his defenders, was an early ιnjury sustained by Day’Ron Sharpe. In the first quarter of the game, Sharpe twisted his ankle and had to leave the game because he was serving as a backup for Nic Claxton. However, he did not come back. There is as of yet no information regarding the seriousness of the injuries. Bridges completed the game with eight points, but he shot only two of seven shots and had a team-worst minus-11 rating. Nic Claxton, who also only played for 16 minutes, finished with seven points, four rebounds, and a block despite shooting perfectly all three times.

In general, Jacque Vaughn was pleased with what he saw from his team, and especially Simmons.

“He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, and he looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor and communicating with guys into the flow of the game,” said the coach. “I think he played with pace.” “This is really encouraging to see,” Vaughn commented. “So, some really good minutes,” the speaker said.

Simmons only played for 14 minutes, all of which were in the first half, yet he finished with a 4-of-6 overall shooting performance, did not attempt a three-point shot, and converted 2-of-4 free throws. While leading the way for Brooklyn, he was also responsible for three assists, one rebound, and one steаl.

“The pace that he plays with, unscripted, and having a flair in the flow to his game, those are the things that we want him to get back to doing that he did when he was playing basketball instinctively. I believe that you were able to witness some of that, and it is undeniably a step in the right way for him.”

Not only for what he performed on the court on Monday, but also for his whole performance, Vaughn was impressed with Thomas.

Vaughn remarked about Thomas, who is now 21 years old, that “He’s grown from Year 1 to Year 3, and part of that is knowing how you can affect the game on both ends of the floor, and being accountable on both ends of the floor,” Vaughn added. “So, in light of that, we decided to get started tonight.”

Vaughn had been critical of Thomas during the previous season despite the fact that he had three consecutive games with at least 40 points, even though Kyrie Irving and then Kevin Durant had been traded at the deadline.

In addition to that, Dennis Smith Jr. offered his support…

The Lakers began their season by focusing on their two franchise players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They did not play at all during the second half, though, and neither did the majority of Brooklyn’s expected starting lineup. Austin Reaves, who had played with Bridges and Johnson this summer for Team USA, joined James and Davis on the Cavaliers. Former Nets Taurean Prince and D’Angelo Russell also joined James and Davis on the team.

The Lakers took an early lead, but Nets supporters got what they wаnted right away: an energized and mobile performance from Simmons.

When analyzing a preseason game, the first rule to remember is that you should never get too excited about anything that you observe. It also applies to Rules No. 2 and 3, respectively. However, considering that Simmons participated in only 42 games during the previous season, it is difficult to avoid doing exactly that. Ben10 scored the first two points of the preseason for the Brooklyn Nets by going straight at James off the dribble and converting a right hook shot around the cylinder. This was Brooklyn’s first two points.

He appeared to be actively involved for the entirety of the first period, making decisive moves even while operating as a cutter and at one point finishing through contact for a difficult and-one. Even though he failed to make the subsequent free throw, Simmons was largely responsible for the most of Brooklyn’s early оffensive production.