When Cam Thomas went down on November 5, it looked bad. For the fourth time since the start of last season, the Nets shooting guard was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain. The Nets said he’d , be evaluated in three to four weeks. On Wednesday, the first milestone in that time frame passed. But as Jordi Fernandez told beat writers before Friday’s game, there’s no update, no new details on the injury which caused Thomas to miss 53 games last season and now ten this season…
And that was that. Of course, that isn’t quite that. As Lewis reported not long after the injury, it was always likely that a three-to-four week absence was optimistic. More often, he reported, three to four weeks is a baseline, certainly not something set in stone.
Lewis even contacted an experienced sports medicine specialist Dr. Kenton Fibel from Cedars-Sinai Orthopedics in Los Angeles to get a better sense of things. First things first, Dr. Fibel told The Post reporter that based on the three-to-four week evaluation, Thomas is likely dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring injury and a recovery lasting around _six weeks_. Moreover, he said Thomas’ past history _could_ lead to future complications including that the muscle could be chronically weakened.
More than that, Thomas has not been missed despite leading the team in scoring prior to going down. Indeed, Brooklyn has been playing better since Thomas traded his uniform for street clothes. As Erik Slater wrote on Clutch Points:
> While Thomas is the Nets’ only high-level shot creator, the team has improved following his injury. With Thomas sidelined, Brooklyn has distributed its ball-handling responsibilities more evenly throughout the team. The rebuilding squad’s offense has played at nearly the same level in his absence, dropping from a 113.0 rating (21st) with Thomas to a 111.8 rating (22nd) without him.
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> Meanwhile, the team’s defense has improved significantly since Thomas exited the lineup. The Nets ranked dead-last in the NBA with a 128.5 defensive rating while posting a 0-7 record over their first seven games. They rank 21st with a 118.5 rating while posting a 3-7 record following Thomas’ injury.
Of course, there’s Thomas contract status as well. Despite his youth and record of scoring prowess, his future with Brooklyn remains uncertain. Rather than accept a two-year, $30 million deal — with the second year a team option —or a one-year, $9.5 million deal, Thomas chose instead to exercise his $6.0 million qualifying offer. He could be traded but there’s no indication of a market for his services and if he is dealt, he’d lose his Bird Rights. While he still has fans in the organization, it’s complicated and like his return to health, whether he will ever don a Nets uniform seems uncertain.