Cam Johnson registered six assists in the Brooklyn Nets‘ Oct. 10 preseason win over the Phoenix Suns. He now has 10 assists from two preseason games, having registered four against Hapoel Jerusalem on Oct. 5. Thomas’ playmaking has been a notable subplot over those two games, primarily due to the lack of a proven point guard within Brooklyn’s rotation.
However, when speaking to the media during a post-game news conference, Thomas noted that he isn’t heading into the season with the specific goal of becoming a leading playmaker and shot creator for Jordi Fernandez’s team. Instead, Thomas will focus on playing his natural game and taking whatever the defense is giving up.
“I’m just going to play my game, and if that requires the assist, great,” Thomas said. “But you know, at the end of the day, I’m still a scorer at heart. But it’s also adding that playmaking aspect — being able to make the right play and keep the defense honest. So no, I’m definitely just going to read the game. So, some games it might be a lot of assists, and you know most of the games are going to be a lot of points, but it’s just about reading the game and taking what the defense gives me.”
Thomas will carry a significant scoring gravity for Brooklyn this season. Therefore, he will have plenty of opportunities to create open shots for his teammates. Of course, scoring gravity is a byproduct of his offensive skill set and scoring role within the rotation. Therefore, it’s logical for him to envision his approach remaining the same, rather than trying to force-feed additional passes in situations where he would usually look to score.
It will be interesting to see how Fernandez leans on Thomas and in what areas he shows improvement. With how the Nets’ rotation is set up, he should have a big season ahead, and if that means he fills up the box score with points and assists, then so be it, but the focus will undoubtedly be ensuring that he’s playing his game and reacting to how team’s look to play him — because that is how the Nets will see Thomas at his best.