Thomas makes case for NBA’s Most Improved
Tyrese Maxey of the 76ers is the odds-on favorite to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award this season at – 155, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Maxey, a fourth-year guard out of Kentucky, was named an All-Star in his first season as a regular starter for the 76ers and has averaged 25.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists across 56 games. He averaged 20.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season when he was used primarily as a reserve.
Chicago’s Colby White (+115), Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams (+3000) and Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga (+4000) round out FanDuel’s Top 4. Other sites have players such as Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, Houston’s Alperen Sengün and Portland’s Anfernee Simons in the mix. But few sites mention third-year Nets guard Cam Thomas, who is quietly having the best season of his young career while more than doubling his scoring output from last season.
The 22-year-old was averaging a team-best 21.3 points per game entering Wednesday’s road matchup against the Magic. He has started 35 of the 50 games he has appeared in this season, has scored at least 30 points in 10 of them, and at least 40 points in three of them. And, he is averaging more points this season than White, Williams and Kuminga.
To put Thomas’ third-year leap in perspective, he averaged just 10.6 points in 16.6 minutes per game last season. Interim coach Kevin Ollie believes the young scoring guard deserves to be mentioned among the league’s most improved players, not only for the strides he has made offensively, but for his growth at both ends of the court.
Thomas has averaged 30 points per game on 48.8⁄58.8⁄72.7 splits since returning from a six-game injury absence on March 9. He notched 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal in the Nets’ 120101 victory over the Cavaliers on Sunday.
“I know he’s been out with some injuries and stuff like that, but hopefully he continues to have this stretch over the next 17 games,” Ollie said. “And what he did the other day, I think that was one of his best games. And not just the scoring, but the rebounding. We’re watching film and he’s being bad. He’s touching guys. He’s hitting guys. He’s not running out the paint on the defensive end. He’s talking. So, it was amazing to see his growth since I got here, how he’s retaining things that we want him to do.
“And 80 percent of basketball is not having the ball in your hands. So how can you impact the 80 percent when the ball isn’t in your hands? And he’s starting to do that. And once he starts doing that, I think that will unlock a lot of things where people are talking about him in the higher echelon of not just a scorer, but a complete basketball player.”
Speaking recently on a podcast with NBA reporter Chris Haynes, Thomas said he should be in the conversation for the Most Improved Player award, given his production with extended opportunity this season.
“I feel like my name should definitely be in the conversation more,” Thomas said.
“With what I’ve honestly gone through my first two years just playing sporadically… Having a jump like this, that can’t go unnoticed.”
The minimum number of games to be eligible for postseason awards in the NBA is 65, meaning Thomas would have to appear in 16 of the final 17 games to be considered.