Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas comes into the 2025-26 NBA season looking to increase his value on the free-agency market while helping the Nets win as many games as possible. Thomas did not have the outcome in restricted free-agency that he was hoping for so he came back to Brooklyn on his one-year, $6 million qualifying offer (QO), but head coach Jordi Fernandez still trusts Thomas with the ball.
“I don’t think we’ll have many problems. I know CT is going to shoot better than 1-for-10 like no doubt in my mind, his shot [attempts] is going to go up,” Fernandez said following Friday’s 119-114 preseason finale loss at the Toronto Raptors. Thomas had a rough game on the offensive end as he scored just seven points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field, but he did pile up six assists, showing that he is more than willing to set up his teammates.
“Probably take a few more shots, but his playmaking was, once again, great. Six assists to two turnovers. That’s the player that we need him to be,” Fernandez continued. “We need him to score and play-make and keep getting better defensively. The way he’s playing is he’s not pressing, he’s not frustrated, he’s just shooting what he has to shoot, and he’s play-making for his teammates.”
While Thomas did not shoot the ball well on Friday against the Raptors at all, he was still aggressive on the offensive end as he generated six free-throws through his ability to put pressure on the rim. Thomas could not get himself going, but that didn’t matter much for Brooklyn’s offense as forward Michael Porter Jr. went off for 34 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field and 6-of-11 shooting from three-point land.
Friday’s preseason game at Toronto showed what the formula could be for the Nets when it comes to its offensive production as four different players had at least five assists, including Thomas’ team-leading six helpers. Ultimately, Thomas has averaged at least 22.5 points per game in each of the past two seasons so scoring won’t be an issue for him, but the next step of his evolution as a player is being a consistent playmaker for his teammates.
