Doc Rivers dropped some heavy praise on the new Milwaukee Bucks veteran, Cam Thomas, on Wednesday night.
“I’ve had Jamal Crawford. I had Lou Williams, and now, I have Cam Thomas,” Rivers told reporters.
“…The guy is a natural scorer, and you can see that. Probably forced one or two today where he overdribbled. You live with that, and you teach that to get that out of him. But overall, he was fantastic.”
It was just his second game with the Bucks, and Thomas scored the game-high against the Orlando Magic in 25 minutes off the bench. The veteran guard went 12-20 from the field and 4-6 from three to produce 34 points. He also tallied two assists and four rebounds.
Two games are a small sample size for the Bucks’ new addition, but he’s already looking much more improved in green and white, compared to his last run with the Brooklyn Nets this season.
Cam Thomas Stats This Season
Brooklyn Nets — 24 Games
24.3 minutes
39% field goal
32% 3-point
15.6 points
3.1 assists
1.8 rebounds
Milwaukee Bucks — 2 Games
19.0 minutes
52% field goal
57% 3-point
19.0 points
1.5 assists
2.5 rebounds
Cam Thomas Reacts to Doc Rivers’ Message
Thomas likes to claim that he should be recognized as a known bucket-getter in the NBA. But also, he doesn’t want anything to get twisted, there’s more value there.
“It means a lot having that confidence [in me] that early,” Thomas said of Rivers’ comments. “Everybody knows I can score, at the end of the day, that’s the name of the game. Getting buckets and scoring, but I am more than just a scorer. Playmaking. Drawing the defense on me, making the right plays. I feel like that’s a part of my game that gets underrated just because I score the ball so well.”
Thomas fell out of favor with the Nets as early as last season. They extended a qualifying offer to him over the summer, but it was clear he wasn’t going to be in Brooklyn long-term. Trades did’t materialize for Thomas ahead of the deadline, leaving the Nets to cut him loose so he could hit free agency. That’s when the Bucks scooped him up.
Once again, Thomas is playing for a contract. It’s still too early to say what happens beyond 2025-2026, but Rivers’ early review will certainly help Thomas’s case.
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