Earlier in the offseason, the Brooklyn Nets surprisingly traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks. The Nets already looked like a rebuilding team after trading Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. On top of that, Brooklyn hasn’t won a playoff game since 2021 and missed the postseason entirely last year. Trading Bridges essentially confirms that they are rebuilding. Now that Bridges is out of the game, other members of the Nets will have to step in and take on a bigger role. Luckily for Nets fans, 22-year-old Cam Thomas is ready to do just that.

In a recent interview with SLAM, Thomas talked about taking on a larger role following Bridges’ departure. Thomas said he is “just ready” to take on a larger role both on and off the court.

“Knowing that and embracing it. Facing it head on. I’ve been in that role (as the team’s leader) since high school and college. So I’m not too worried about it. I’m just excited to get going and try it out in the league. I’m not too worried about it at all; I’m just ready.”

Thomas spent the first three years of his NBA career with the Nets and improved each season. The 2023-24 season was a career year for Thomas. In 66 games, including 51 starts, Thomas averaged 22.5 points on 44.2% shooting from the field and 36.4% from beyond the three-point line. He also averaged 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Thomas also finished seventh in the poll as the player with the most performance improvements.

Brooklyn Nets winger “ready” for bigger role

Cam Thomas doesn’t believe in rebuilding the Nets

Contrary to what the public believes, the Nets are not in a rebuilding phase, according to Thomas. In an interview with HoopsHype, the Japan native says that he and the team “will not consider this a rebuilding.”

“We’re not going to look at this as a rebuild like people say. We’re going to go out there and compete and try to win every game. If we lose, we lose. We’re not going to fix games. We’re going to fight hard. It’s going to be fun and exciting with good, young Nets basketball. I can’t wait to see it.”

Whether they rebuild or not, it’s clear that the Nets are still a long way from being a title contender. However, the Nets have an interesting young core to build around. In addition to Thomas, the Nets have Nicolas Claxton and Cameron Johnson on the roster. Additionally, if Ben Simmons comes back healthy and at least somewhat resembles the player he was with the Philadelphia 76ers, he will play a big role in the Nets’ future.

The last word on Cam Thomas

Thomas is an intriguing player who now has more room to develop. After averaging over 20 points per game last season, it will be exciting to see what’s next for him. The Nets probably won’t be a playoff team next year. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be worth watching, now led by Thomas.