Brooklyn Nets’ Cam Thomas is in the midst of his best season, justifying the electric scoring prowess he entered the league with. His relentless outbursts have led the Nets to be somewhat giant killers. However, there was a time in Brooklyn when they were the giants. Thomas, a scoring sensation grew under the tutelage of three offensive juggernauts – Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. It didn’t last long, but it did stage an epic battlefield.

When timid and still a rookie, Thomas admitted there being a lot of trash-talking amongst them. “We play one-on-one in shootaround all the time, post-ups, I beat him. Don’t tell him that,” he said about Durant. The Slim Reaper was quick to correct him. However, did they ever play a true game to test just who is the superior scorer?

It’s going to sound astonishing but the three scoring dynamos refused to step on their ones against a bursting Cam Thomas, who had one of the best collegiate scoring campaigns in LSU history.

“We ain’t really play ones though… You know season legs. They was like got to save it for the season I am like,” he told Draymond Green and Baron Davis. It left the Warriors forward stunned. Billing it a disappointment, Green had good reason for his reaction. “KD always playing ones,” he told the 23-year-old on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.

Despite that, Thomas still had a rare opportunity to be in the presence of scoring wisdom. Calling each of them “brothers”, he and Durant still share a healthy rivalry when they do meet as rivals. In a game against him when Kevin Durant did score, he proceeded to call Thomas “mini” later saying “He’s my brother. I got to teach him a lesson if he’s going to guard me out there”. 

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Kevin Durant has hailed Cam Thomas as a mega-talent

Thomas didn’t just arrive with the reputation as a surgical scorer. Each time he took the practice floor alongside Durant and the Nets, his mastery became evident. This year, with an open pass as the Nets’ first option, the 23-year-old is fully unleashed averaging a career-high 24.7 points and equal improvements in his efficiency.

It put the NBA world on notice. However, one man who always believed in his talents was Kevin Durant.

After taunting him for being small, the two-time champion dished out heavy praise on Cam Thomas. “He’s only gonna get better. What is he? 22-years-old? Around the league, it’s already on the scouting report that he’s one the hardest people to guard in the league. So if he keeps it up, the sky’s the limit for him,” Durant noted.

With every season, that improvement is on full display. Currently, Thomas is shooting 52.8% when operating in the mid-range. Although circumstances and defensive pressure are different, his volume and efficiency are both better than the Slim Reaper this year. Furthermore, he is versatile enough to generate his own shots and play off his teammates with 47.4% of his makes being unassisted.

As it seems, the praise Kevin Durant lay on Cam Thomas wasn’t just empty words. He has seen him study the game and watch film firsthand. That ‘obsession’ is what gravitated Durant toward the young guard. Now, Thomas is flaunting all his gifts in a Nets system that provides him the freedom to do what he did with LSU.

The leap to take now is adding another dimension to his game to adjust to the heavy coverage Thomas will face. Luckily, he has Kevin Durant on call who is more than happy to take him under his wing.