Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas has not taken too kindly to a concerning report that recently came out about him from The Ringer’s Zach Lowe. Lowe stated that the consensus about Thomas is that he is an “empty calories ball hog,” and the 23-year-old went off on the analyst and that narrative on X.
“The consensus? F*** you and the consensus, Zach Lowe. This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball. Why are we double-teaming a guy who’s ‘not that good’ make it make sense, please.”
Thomas averaged 24.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for the Nets in 2024-25, but missed much of the campaign due to injury. He remains a restricted free agent today, and that was why his name was brought up on The Zach Lowe Show.
“What do we make of this guy who scores in bunches, who upped his assists significantly last year?” Lowe asked. “Still, I think only four and a half per 36 minutes, which, given the amount of time he has the ball, is still pretty low, but higher. Flashes some good passing skills, some lobs, some dump-offs.
“Still had a usage rate of almost 33 percent, which is what you would associate almost with like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, MVP kind of seasons,” Lowe continued. “Defensively, meh, but the dude can put the ball in the basket, and he can make a lot of tough shots, and he took more threes, and he shoots pretty well from three. Doesn’t get to the rim that much; his rim rate is lower than I anticipated.
“The consensus on Cam Thomas, if there is one, and he’s got some fans, and he’s got some mega-detractors – but the consensus is kind of like Empty Calories Ball Hog,” Lowe added.
Lowe did think that Thomas’ passing had gotten better, but stated later on that he isn’t sure he wants Thomas as a starter on a good team. He reckons the best role for the guard is to be a spark plug off the bench.
Thomas, of course, would be backing himself to be more than just that. Minutes before putting out that post in which he ripped Lowe, he defended his play on the court.
“Last time speaking on some s***,” Thomas stated. “Empty Calories? First off, we were the 5th or 6th team in the East before my injury and trades. Can’t control what the GM wanna do with the team … 2nd ball hog? I was 2nd on the team in assists, not counting the PGs traded away and traded for… Guess nobody was passing the mf ball. But just bring me up every time.”
The Nets were tied for seventh in the East with an 8-10 record on Nov. 25, 2024, when Thomas was sidelined due to a hamstring issue that would cause him to miss much of the remainder of the season. He believes that this shows an unfair picture is being painted about him.
While that may or may not be true, it’s getting less likely by the passing day that Thomas gets the kind of contract that he desires. According to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis, he is seeking a deal in the neighborhood of $30 million a year, but the Nets are reluctant to make that kind of financial commitment. One wonders how this situation pans out.
