Draymond Green gets blunt on Cam Thomas and his plummeting value, and shares advice on how he can extend his NBA career.
In the NBA today, few players have ever divided fansā opinions more thanĀ Cam Thomas. The new Milwaukee Bucks guard has always wowed fans with his potent scoring ability, but teams havenāt valued him highly due to his deficiencies on the defensive end.
Despite averaging double-digit points for most of his career, Thomas has not been as highly rated as some of his high-scoring peers because teams value defense so highly today. In addition, he has also struggled with injuries since last year. Fans got to see just how low Thomasā value was when the Brooklyn Nets waived him after the trade deadline, becauseĀ teams didnāt really have interest in him.
The release has made the narrative around him impossible to ignore, which is why Golden State Warriors forwardĀ Draymond GreenĀ spoke on the Draymond Green Show to explain just why the value of players like Thomas has plummeted.
āItās really guys who score at an elite level but doesnāt quite compete on the defensive end, theyāre just really losing value in this league of guys where everything is fast, trying to get downhill, everybody is playing off close outs. Everybody is live,āĀ heĀ said.Ā āitās made it tougher for teams to play them.ā
Draymond gives some advice to Cam
Thomas is currently averaging 15.9 points, but is shooting a career low from the field. With this, Green gave some advice, saying that he needs to recognize his defensive weaknesses and address them before itās too late. Fortunately for Thomas, the Bucks, whose star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for the foreseeable future, scooped him up, giving him another chance to increase his value.
āItāll be important for him to try to go figure out that other side of it over the course of these next 25-30 games that heās in Milwaukee. Because until then, I think you just end up with more of the same, and his best chance is just to have the ball in his hands has probably come and passed him by, which was Brooklyn,āĀ said Draymond.
Since signing with the Bucks, Thomas has found his rhythm again on the offensive end. After a forgettable first game, he bounced back with a 34-point performance while shooting 60 percent from the field and 66 percent from long range.
Granted, this is a short sample size, but it still shows that Thomas can contribute when needed. Itās just his defensive effort that needs to change for him to increase his value and ultimately extend his career in the league.
āI think itās important for Cam Thomas to give some effort on that side of the ball so he can change the path that heās headed in this league, because heās one of the more talented scorers that we have in this league,āĀ stated Green.
Green once compared Thomas to Kobe
Many fans might think that Greenās comments were made just to kick Thomas while heās down. While Draymond might have that reputation for some, he really wants the best for the Bucks guard. After all, he compared Cam to the legendary Kobe Bryant two years ago for his scoring versatility.
During a game between the Nets and the Warriors two years ago, Green witnessed firsthand why Thomas has the reputation he does as an offensive player, after seeing how he responded to Golden State double-teaming him the entire game.
āThe strategy was, we were gonna double him no matter where he went on the floor. And when I realized the strategy wasnāt gonā workā¦I was in a full-out trap, me and Moses Moody,āĀ recalledĀ Draymond.
āAnd Iām like, āAh, yeah, we got him close to the sideline. He boutta turn the ball over.ā That man pulled up and shot. Iām still closinā the trap in, and he just rose up and shot it. I was like, āOh, nah. He different. This is Kobe-like,āĀ he continued.
Thomas has already cemented himself as one of the most talented scorers in the league. Now, with another chance in Milwaukee, he has to prove to everyone that he is more than just that.
