Is Cam Thomas the NBA’s Next Great Scorer?

You have become the go-to guy at the end of games. Is that a discussion that you guys have as a team or is it something that happens naturally?

It’s just a trust thing. If most people watch the game, you know that me and Mikal [Bridges] rotate a little bit: I take a possession or I’ll take two possessions in a row if I’m scoring and feeling it and then after those two I may give it to Mikal, or Mikal may give it to me. We rotate it, keep defenses off balance because you never want to give a team the same reads.

It seems like you can leap from any position and get into a shooting motion where you’re squared to the basket. Is that something that you specifically work on?

Yeah, when I was younger, just knowing not every shot’s going to be a set perfect shot, so you got to learn how to get your shot off any other way. And plus when I was coming up, a lot of people would usually, like, box-and-one me or double-team me. So I had to find ways to score through that no matter what, because nobody wants to be shut down. So I really just try to figure out little crafty ways to still get my shot off and it’s helping me now. All that’s coming back in handy.

See, I didn’t even know that was a hard shot. I’m just like, “Oh, that’s just a normal shot.” I didn’t know that was a hard shot until everybody started posting, it was like, “Cam Thomas. Tough shot maker.” And I’m just like, “That was just a normal shot.”

It’s interesting to hear though that you worked on that when you were younger because I was going to ask specifically about playing with Durant, Irving, and Harden. Are there are specific little tricks that you picked up playing and practicing with those guys?

Not so much really practicing with them, but more so when I was in college or high school. I would watch highlights of mainly James and Kobe, especially when James was in Houston. That’s when I was really seeing how to do the step-back three, seeing how he draws fouls and stuff like that.

Obviously when you get close up to when you ask them, but I already knew how to do most of the step-back moves like James because I watched it and practiced it so much. So when I got my opportunity to do it, it can be just as lethal as his because it’s kind of an unguardable shot. You can’t really block it or anything.

But you never solicited them for advice and tried to pick their brains?

They kind of just took me under their wing, mainly Kyrie and KD. I got advice from them about life off the court, on the court, whatever. You ask questions about anything when you get to know somebody on that level.

Was there something off the court that they told you that’s been helpful just in terms of living the NBA life?

Yeah, of course. I don’t want to say it. [Laughs]

Do you feel like that helped your development to come into that situation? I wonder, because you’ve always been such a pure scorer, if part of you wished that you’d been drafted by, like, Indiana or Orlando, where you could have just come in and gotten starter’s minutes right away. Or do you feel like it’s really been beneficial to come in and apprentice behind these guys?

Yeah, honestly, everyone wants to come in and have that role early. Through my draft process, I was projected to be a higher pick, but I slid in the draft. But things happen for a reason. Coming to Brooklyn really helped me as far as seeing prolific scorers. Being a prolific scorer, it was useful watching those guys and learning how to work on your game and prepare. Just certain tricks of the trade that they do that you see in games that you learn and that you try to use in your own game. So I feel like it was a blessing in disguise to be drafted to Brooklyn, so it is working out right now.

But at the time when you were drafted to Brooklyn, were you like, “Damn, minutes are going to be tough to come by?”

No, not really. Obviously, me having a lot of confidence, I don’t really look at stuff like that. I would always look at, How can I help? and How can I play with these guys? But obviously, it’s tough. You’ve got three Hall of Famers in my rookie year, then going down to KD and Kyrieat one point. Everybody wants to play. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to play. But you just got to trust the process and just stick it out and keep working on your game and keep believing in yourself.

Did you ever end up beating KD one-on-one during his time here?

Honesty, we never really played. That’s probably the coolest thing about this year, playing against those guys. I played against Kyrie our second game of the year, I think, and then finna play against KD soon. So that’s probably the most funny part about all this.

Did Kyrie say anything to you after the game?

He definitely said something to me and we hung out a little bit. That’s still my brother at the end of the day. I can always text him or call him anything for advice or just talk or anything. So I feel like we have a really strong bond. Same thing with KD. I feel like we grew a really strong bond, so if I ever wanted to call him or text me anything, I’m pretty sure he would respond back and call me.

Do you have a favorite game of your career so far?

I’d probably say the game against the Knicks my rookie year. Because we were down by like 25 or something and then we came back and won in Madison Square Garden.

What’s it like living in a big city like Brooklyn? You’ve been there for a few years, but it must have been a big change for you at first coming from LSU and growing up in Virginia.

Yeah, it was a big change at first. When I first got here it was crazy. It was a little fast because I’m from Virginia and that’s more suburban—it’s not really city life. But it’s cool now. I’m used to it. You find different spots you go to that you’re used to, and then you just get familiar with everything, so it’s good.

What are your spots?

Honestly, I live downtown [Brooklyn], so there’s a Chick-fil-A right there.

You don’t have favorite New York restaurants?

I don’t really go out for real, so I don’t really have that yet, but maybe eventually when I get some time a little few days off in between some games I’ll probably go find some spots.

Are you on the Citi bikes? Do you walk, take the subway?

Nah, just Ubers.

Do you feel like you’re starting to get recognized more?

Yeah, I got recognized a lot my second year. This past year when I would walk out and just go to the store, try to get some stuff for my apartment, a lot of people would notice me, so now I’m just like, “Ah, probably just got to DoorDash everything.” I got recognized a lot in my second year and I already know this year it’s probably going to be even more crazy.