Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center, Nets guard Cam Thomas clarified that he didn’t suffer his season-ending left hamstring strain on his final shot attempt in Chicago last Thursday.
It actually happened seconds before as he dribbled up the court, and this hamstring strain felt much different than the other two he dealt with this season, which forced him to miss a combined 37 games.
“Definitely felt it this time,” Thomas said. “As soon as it happened, I was just like, man, something happened… Definitely want to come back next year, stronger, and hungrier.”
Thomas’ fourth season in the NBA could only be summed up as unlucky. He was expected to take a significant leap this season. In some ways he still did. But the sample size was small, as injuries limited him to just 25 games.
“Obviously, as a competitor, I would love to be out there playing with my guys, and still trying to finish this season off strong, but at the end of the day [the Nets are] looking at what’s best for me,” Thomas said. “And you know, it was possible for me to play, I’d be out there playing at the end of the day.”
When Thomas could play, he was arguably the most productive he’s ever been. While his 2024-25 season was cut short, he averaged career highs in points (24.0), rebounds (3.3) and assists (3.8). That’s one positive he can take from an injury-plagued season, and something he can continue to build on going forward.
“Obviously when I’m out there playing, just being able to play some of the best basketball I played in my career up to date,” Thomas said. “I look at it from a whole season standpoint, the ups and downs of it. But definitely proud of how I played in the games I was in. I think it was like career-highs across the board, so I think it’s definitely good for me to build on that and look at what I can do better.”
Thomas will be a restricted free agent this summer. His qualifying offer is expected to be worth $5.9 million. But he’ll worry about in July. The 23-year-old believes he’s produced enough — and improved enough — to be part of the Nets’ core moving forward.
What comes next is out of his hands.
“It was good just experiencing all the love from fans here, teammates, front office, everybody, I feel like I built a lot of great relationships here,” Thomas said. “It’s a business at the end of the day. I would love to be back and get that straightened out, just to keep playing in front of the fans and keep building relationships that I built here.
“I was drafted here so I definitely have a connection here. I definitely want to be back by the end of the day, like I said, we just have to look into that, but whatever happens, happens. I’m just going to let my agents and the front office discuss that. It should be good; I would be very happy to be back if I am back.”
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